A Lost Soul
by Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan
Summary: Ren, while training, happens upon a lost, unconscious girl on a blackened sidewalk . A victim of amnesia, Ren simply calls her “Lost”. But could he and Lost spark something between them? RenxOC CHAPTER 14 UP!
1. A Lost Soul

A Lost Soul

Hey everyone! My first SK fic! I hope you all like it! It's a RenOC coupling since I think that RenPirka is just TOO weird Oo;;;

Anyway…let's get to full summary!

(Shortened Version)

Ren, while training, happens upon a lost, unconscious girl in a blackened alleyway. A victim of amnesia, Ren simply calls her "Lost". But could he and Lost spark something between them? RenxOC Slight JunxPailong

(Full Version)

Ren, while training, happens upon a lost, unconscious girl in a blackened alleyway. A victim of amnesia, Ren simply calls her "Lost". Lost develops feelings for Ren, but Ren's rock hard personality is something that won't break easily. But could he and Lost spark something between them? RenxOC

* * *

"Ren, are you almost finished?" Jun asked, coming out of the shower now in her nightgown. She blinked tiredly, still hot from the water as she looked around for her younger brother, who had been working out before she had gone into the bath. "Ren? Oh, don't tell me that he left again. He really should stay in the room…how many times do I have to tell him that?" Jun sighed and sat down in a chair. "Pailong?"

"Yes Jun-sama?" Pailong asked, coming out from a room in the corner.

"Do you know where Ren went?"

"He said that he was leaving to go train outside," Pailong explained, "I said that he shouldn't go out in the rain, but he-"

"Ignored you, of course," Jun sighed, "Nothing can get through that rock-hard skull of his."

There was a silence between the two as Pailong stayed standing and Jun looked at the large window, now covered with rain drops. She sighed and shook her head. "Don't you want to sit down?"

"I-if you insist Jun-sama," Pailong nodded and sat down in the chair across from her.

"I just hope that Ren's all right…" Jun spoke and Pailong looked up. Jun's eyes were slightly watery, which was so unlike her. "He seems…so lonely sometimes. I feel like…like I alone am not enough."

"Jun…" Pailong furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you all right yourself?"

"I'm fine…never mind," Jun shook her head, "I think I'll turn in for the night…Ren should be back by morning." Jun stood up and walked slowly to her room. "Pailong…you don't have to wait for Ren…he'll come back on his own." And with that, she shut her bedroom door behind her.

* * *

"This is excruciatingly boring, Bason," Ren snapped to his Chinese Warlord ghost. Ren was busy at an abandoned junk yard, slashing his kwan dao, slicing random pieces of metal and other garbage to pieces. Bason stood to the side, watching him. "I wish I had someone to practice with instead of garbage. But I couldn't stand being in that stuffy room for another second."

"Yes Master Ren," Bason nodded. "But I am afraid that we should be getting back to your home soon. It is raining, and I wouldn't wish you to catch, how do you say, a cold."

"Feh," Ren sniffed as he looked at the rain pouring down, soaking his hair and his bare chest. His shirt had been thrown to the side and his black pants hung low on his hips. The drops of water slid down his firm abs and chest, dripping down his legs and onto his feet. "It's just the rain, I'll be fine. I don't need anyone looking after me as though I'm three years old."

"Yes Master Ren," Bason bowed and kept silent as Ren continued to destroy garbage with a few flicks of his weapon.

A few hours passed and it was pitch black, the rain still falling. Bason kept obediently in the same spot as Ren continued to train, sweat now mixed with rain drops as he pushed himself farther than ever before, slashing at what seemed to be light speeds. Suddenly, after the last cinder block, sliced into at least twenty pieces, fell to the ground, Ren stopped and looked up. "I suppose we should head back now, I need to sleep if I'm going to get maximum training in tomorrow."

"Yes Master Ren," Bason bowed and then turned his head to accompany his master out of the yard. Ren snatched his shirt, not bothering to put it on and started to saunter out of the graveyard, his kwan dao now broken up and stuffed inside of his jacket pocket. He kept walking, but then stopped suddenly and looked up, his yellow eyes shining.

"Bason…there's someone coming," Ren spoke softly, and then pulled out his kwan dao. "No ordinary cockroach would be out her at this hour… Keep a look out…" He slowly stepped forward, making not a sound with his Chinese slippers and then, lunged forward. "HYAH!" he screamed, then stopped in his tracks as he saw a young girl stagger forward, beaten, bloodied, and crying. "What…in the world…?"

"Hel-help…" the girl struggled to say, blood streaming down her lips as she reached out to hi, falling to her knees. "Help me…please…" With that, she fell down in front of Ren, straight into the mud.

"Master Ren, the girl seems to be in trouble," Bason told her as Ren kneeled down to inspect her.

"Like I care…I'm going…" Ren stepped forward, then stopped and looked at the girl. He sighed and grabbed her by the waist, hoisting her up on his shoulder, "What the hell, I'll take her back. Jun can fix her up…and I'm curious what happened to her."

Ren continued to walk down the sidewalk, the girl over his shoulder, Bason at his side, the rain lifting from the clouds as the stars began to show.

* * *

"Here," Ren threw the girl onto the couch and looked at her, "She's pretty beat up…I should wake up Jun." He looked at her again, then stopped, "Never mind, I'll fix her up myself…I don't need Jun for every little thing." He slowly walked over to a counter and opened up a cupboard door, revealing a first aid kit. He pulled it out and made his way over to the girl. "Now…let's see…I'll have to take her clothes off-" He stopped and blushed, "Let me get Jun…"

"I see what you mean," Jun nodded, looking at the girl, "She's pretty hurt, isn't she?"

"Well, now that you're here, I'm going to bed," Ren sighed and started to walk toward his room.

"Excuse me, aren't you worried about her?" Jun asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Please! I was this close to leaving her there!" Ren snapped, "I'm tired…I need my rest." With that, he slammed his door and Jun once again gave a dejected sigh.

"Typical Ren," she shook her head, "Now…let's get to helping this girl."

"Are you not going to go to sleep Master Ren?" Bason asked as Ren lay awake in his bed. He had stayed like that for over an hour, blinking slightly.

"I'm not tired," he snapped and threw up his blanket. "I'm going to see how Jun's doing…better then lying here doing nothing."

He creeked his door open to see Jun wrapping the girl's head in a bandage. He could see that all of the blood, dirt, and mud on her had been cleaned off. But he could also see another thing…

That she was stark naked. He quickly turned the other way, his face illuminating the dark room with a crimson fury. He hadn't seen much, just her bare skin, and that in itself had made him extremely conscious. He threw himself into bed and snapped his eyes shut. "I'm going to go to sleep…" he commanded himself, "Just watch."

* * *

But Ren hadn't slept all night. That morning, as his alarm clock went off, he slammed his hand on it and got up, his eyes bearing dark circles under them. He opened the door to see that Jun and the girl were no longer on the couch. "Jun! Are you there?"

"We're in the dining room Ren!" Jun told him, coming from the door frame, "And don't shout in front of our guest."

"Guest?" Ren asked as he came in, "You mean that gi-" And he stopped…and stared. He saw none other than the girl he had saved sitting at the dinner table, lightly poking at poached eggs with a fork. Now that she wasn't covered in blood, Ren saw that she had blonde hair that went to about her shoulders, green eyes, and was wearing a green dress of Jun's that was much too big for her. She had a bandage on her head and her arms. As he entered the room, she looked up. "Who are you?"

The girl didn't speak; she just looked at him and then bit her lip. "I…don't know…" she admitted.

"What the hell kind of answer is that?" Ren asked rudely and Jun shot him a glare of which he ignored, "What's your name?"

"I…don't remember…" she spoke softly.

"Amnesia?" he asked Jun and she nodded.

"Doesn't remember a thing…" Jun sighed, "Not her name, where she came from, how she was injured…all a blank."

"Well…" Ren sighed as he sat down, "You'll be leaving soon anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

"What…what's your name?" the girl asked and Ren blinked in her direction.

"Tao Ren," he told her, "Not that it's any of your business."

"So…you're Jun-chan's little brother?"

"Yeah," Ren said rudely, "Don't get too friendly, you'll be out soon, I guarantee."

"Oh…" the girl said, still playing with her food. Ren looked over at the plate and noticed that she hadn't taken a bite.

"Aren't you going to eat? You must be hungry," he told her.

"I'm…not really hungry…" she spoke softly.

"Well, it's good food so eat it! You've got to eat it, it's only polite." he commanded and she stopped. He looked at her and growled. Something about her pissed him off, "Eat it!" He took the plate, grabbed the fork and tried to stuff the food into her mouth.

"Ren, stop it!" Jun commanded, but he ignored her.

"Pl-please stop!" she told him, "I don't want to! I'm scared!"

"It's just food, it won't eat you, you eat it!" Ren told her, still trying to put the fork in her mouth.

"I'm scared, stop it please!" she cried, tears now streaming down her face, "I'm scared of food…it'll make me go to sleep and then…when…when I wake up, everyone will want to hurt me!" she said, tears streaming down her face.

Ren stopped and stared at her, the fork still in his hand. He narrowed his eyes and then spoke firmly, "We're not going to hurt you, and you're not worth my time anyway, so just eat the food."

The girl looked at it and then, very slowly, put her mouth on the fork that Ren out held for her. She chewed the eggs and smiled, "It's good…"

"I told you," Ren sniffed, sitting down, "Jun, tell Pailong to get me some food."

"I'm afraid that he can't," Jun sighed, "We're going away for a bit Ren, we need to visit Father… We just got the message this morning, while you were asleep."

"What!" Ren asked, "Again! I swear, you leave at the most inopportune times!"

"Father doesn't like excuses," Jun reminded him and he nodded, "We'll be leaving this afternoon…"

"What am I supposed to do with her?" Ren asked, nodding to the girl, who was now eating the food much faster, obviously starved, "Can I just take her to an orphanage and be done with it?"

"No, Ren," Jun eyed him, "She'll be staying with us until we can find what's going on with her. Don't worry, her memory should return gradually."

"What the heck am I supposed to do with her?"

"She'll be staying in my room, you'll hardly know she's there," Jun assured him, "And I'll be back in a few days, so it's not like you'll be alone forever."

"Easy for you to say," Ren grimaced.

"Just be patient Ren," Jun assured him, "It'll all come back to her soon."

* * *

Author's Notes: Oh yeah! Do you like it! I know it was short, but it's just the first chapter!

Oooo…Ren and Lost (name not introduced yet) alone together…can you say steamy! Well…that's why this is rated PG-13! (Evil author) Just kidding! Nuttin's happening, I swear!

RR!


	2. Stages of Love

Author's Notes: Second chapter here, fast update!

* * *

"Will you please stop following me?" Ren asked as the girl continued to follow him. It seemed that Jun's statement of "you'll hardly know she's there" had turned out to be quality bull. All day since Jun had left, the girl had been following Ren around the house. Ren had changed into a black shirt and matching sweat pants, the girl still wearing Jun's dress. "I need to work out you know…"

"Work out?" the girl asked, "What's that?"

"When you train your body," Ren told her, "You barely remember how to speak, don't you?"

"I guess…" the girl nodded.

"Anyway, don't bother me…" Ren commanded as he sat down on a bench next to a pile of heavy weights. He picked up two labeled "30lbs" and started to lift them up and down with his muscular arms. The girl watched him and smiled. She ran over to the pile of weights and picked out two different ones, one 20lbs and the other 22 lbs. Or…at least she tried to pick them up, but she couldn't.

"Ow!" she screamed and dropped the weights, making them make a large CLANG on the others.

"Idiot!" Ren walked over to her, "I told you not to bother me."

"Ow…" she rubbed her arms where the bandages were. "Ow…it hurts so bad…"

"Let me see," Ren took her arm in his hand and he noticed the bandage becoming blood-stained. "You must have reopened your wounds, don't worry, they'll heal up soon."

"Ow…ow it hurts so bad…" she shivered and then grabbed Ren around his waist suddenly, embracing him. Ren blushed.

"H-hey, get off of me!"

"It hurts so bad…" she whimpered. Ren looked at her with a slight flash of sympathy in his eyes.

"Come with me," he told her and took her hand. He led her to the first aid kit and quickly took of her bloodstained bandages. "I'll wrap them up…it may not hurt as much then." He took off the bandages and wrapped them gently around her arm. She stopped crying as Ren gracefully tied the bandages on her arms. But not before he noticed something… "These…are knife wounds."

"Kn-knife?" she asked.

"Who the hell would slice you with a knife?" Ren asked, his eyes wide.

"I don't…"

"Remember, I know. Come here," Ren sighed and brought her over to the living room in which a television and a couch were set up. He sat the girl down and grabbed the remote control. "Here, you can watch this, God knows I never do. Dumb invention."

"Wh-what is it?" she asked.

"You press the numbers and you get different things on the screen," Ren told her, "Watch them…it's so called "entertainment"."

"Okay…" the girl nodded as Ren flicked on the television. He threw her the remote.

"Here, you watch it."

"Th-thank you…" she nodded and started pushing buttons, the channel changing rapidly. Ren rolled his eyes, gave a long sigh, and walked back to his work out room in peace.

* * *

"Ren-san?" the girl came back into the room as Ren was lifting heavier weights. "Umm…I finished watching the box."

"How can you have "finished"?" Ren asked incredulously, "It's always playing something."

"Are you done…working out?" she used the term lightly.

"Yes…I think I'll take a shower now…I'm pretty sweaty."

"What's a shower?"

"It's where you get into hot water and wash yourself…" he grunted, tired of explaining things.

"Does it feel good?" the girl asked.

"Yes."

"Can I take a shower with you?"

Ren stopped, blushing so red that he looked like a tomato. "N-no of course you can't!"

"Why not?" the girl asked, "You said it feels good…"

"You have to take your clothes off to take one," Ren explained.

"Oh! Okay!" the girl smiled and started to unzip Jun's dress. Ren blushed as he saw that she wasn't wearing a bra as the dress dropped past her shoulders.

"N-N-NO, PUT IT BACK ON!" he screamed, throwing the dress back over her shoulders.

"But I want to take a shower!" the girl insisted, trying to take the dress off.

"ONLY ONE PERSON CAN TAKE A SHOWER AT A TIME!" he told her, "IT'S THE RULES!"

"Oh…" the girl sniffed, brushing her nose. She let go of the dress, as did Ren, and let's just say Ren had an embarrassing situation.

He flashed his head around, "PUT IT BACK ON!" he told her.

"Can I go first?" she asked him.

"OKAY, I DON'T CARE, JUST GO!" He said, closing his eyes. Next thing he knew, he felt something squishy on his back and arms around his chest. He didn't move; he just blushed furiously.

"Thanks!" she laughed and ran through Ren's room, looking for the shower. Ren turned around to see the dress on the floor.

"She…she…was…na-"

"I think I found it!" she called, "How do you turn it on!"

"Turn the knob!"

"Okay! It's warm!" she smiled, "So I just stand in this?"

"Yeah!" he called to her, "Come out when you're done!"

Ren waited on his bed, blushing every time he heard the water hit her skin. Her pearly white skin of which he had caught a glimpse of. She was rather well filled out…Ren had noticed, if only for a second. The water stopped and he quickly called, "Wrap a towel around your body when you come out!"

"Okay!" she laughed. "What's a towel?"

"One of those clothes on the metal pole!" Ren told her.

"Found it!" she called, "I'm good at this, aren't I?" From the door came the girl, wrapped in a towel and smiling. "That felt really nice Ren-san."

"Good…" he blushed and threw the dress at her, "Put this on, I'll turn around." He did as he told himself as she slipped on the dress and zipped it up. Ren turned around to see the girl completely clothed and smiling.

"You want to take one now?" she asked, sitting next to him on the bed. She smiled charmingly, and Ren felt himself melting.

"Sure…" he sighed and then felt the girl taking off his shirt. "H-hey what are you doing!"

"Taking off your clothes!" she told him. "You don't want them to get wet right?"

"Stop it!" he told her, squirming.

"What's this?" she asked, and ran her hand on Ren's back. His eyes widened as he realized what she was looking at. His spine shivered as she outlined it with her delicate finger.

"Don't touch it…" Ren said, the pain stabbing at his heart, "Stop touching it…"

"But…what is it?"

"My…reminder…" Ren spoke, "Stop touching it…"

"Ren-san?" she asked, "Are you crying?"

"Why would you think that?" Ren asked coldly, then felt himself becoming shocked as he felt the girl's lips lock on his neck. "What the hell are you doing!" he asked.

"I saw this on that box…" she said, "The man was sad and the woman did this to him…" She turned his head around and Ren felt his eyes widening as the girl licked his rock hard abs, then his chest. "Do you feel better?" She asked, then moved up to his face, "I'm supposed to press my lips to yours now…"

"Stop!" he told her, and she drew back. "Don't you get it! That's not something that everyone does to anyone! It's something that people do to each other when they love each other!"

"Love?" the girl asked, "What's that?"

"When…when…" Ren searched for the words, "When you're willing to give your entire being for the person you love…I never understood it myself."

"I…I didn't know that," the girl bit her lip, "So…to make you feel better…I have to "love" you?"

"I…I guess…" Ren nodded.

"Then I'll love you!" the girl insisted.

"You can't just decide to love someone!" Ren told her, "It comes on naturally, you know?"

"Oh…" the girl said, "I still have a lot to learn, don't I?"

"You'll remember soon…" Ren assured her, putting his hand on her shoulder, "Hey…are you sure you still don't remember your name?"

"No…" the girl shook her head, "It was like I was born lost."

"Well, then that's your name." The girl looked up at Ren and he frowned her way, "Your name is Lost."

Lost looked at him and then smiled, "Lost…I like that name. Ren-san?" Lost asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can you try to explain "love" to me again?" She threw her head down on his pillow and Ren sighed. He lay next to her and looked at the ceiling.

"Well…first…there are things called "crushes" you see? Believe me, I'm no expert on "love", it's a petty thing in the end."

"What's a crush?" Lost asked.

"It's when you love a person, but you don't tell them…Jun had one when I was little…"

"But if you don't tell them, then they can't say that they have a "crush" on you, right?" Lost asked and Ren chuckled.

"Very wise…but some people are embarrassed about love you see. I don't know why…"

"What happens after a "crush"?" Lost asked, now very into the subject.

"Then…you can "date" a person."

"What's a "date"?"

"It's when you go someplace with a person you love and have a romantic time. At least that's what I've seen…" Ren explained.

"But…you can only go on a "date" if you love a person?" Lost asked.

"I'm not sure…" Ren shrugged, "Well, after dates…there's…kissing…which is what you did to me."

"I skipped two stages!" Lost gasped, "I really do have so much left to understand!"

"You press your lips to another person's…" Ren told her, "And that's considered an expression of love."

"Oh Ren-san…" Lost sighed, "It sounds wonderful…"

"Feh," Ren snapped, "Sounds like bull to me. Anyway…after that…there's something called "marriage" which is really the stupidest thing I've ever heard of."

"What is it?"

"It's when two people swear to love each other and only each other for the rest of their lives…" Ren said.

"Ren, when I love you, let's get married!" Lost exclaimed and Ren blushed.

"Both people have to love each other!" Ren told her.

"Oh…and…you'll never love me right?" Lost asked, her eyes forlorn.

"Nope, so we can't get married," he said.

"That's a shame…can I get married to Jun?"

"Only boys and girls can fall in love…or well…I'm not going to go into that."

"So…what's after marriage?" Lost asked.

"…something called "making love"." Ren blushed furiously, feeling as though he was giving the "where do babies come from" talk.

"What's that?" Lost inquired.

"When…when both people…" Ren paused, blushing furiously, "It's nothing…I'll tell you later. I'm going to take a shower." Ren went into the bathroom and slammed the door.

* * *

This was seriously pissing him off. He had had to explain "love" to a girl with amnesia! Any other day of the week, he would have just thrown her out the window and forgotten she existed. But somehow…Lost…made him feel a certain way. "I can't pinpoint it…" he told himself frustrated. "Bason!"

"Yes Master Ren?" Bason asked from outside the shower.

"I'm feeling weird when I'm around Lost…tell me, do you have any idea what this might be?"

"I am not sure Master Ren…but perhaps it is the emotion called "love"?"

"PLEASE!" Ren snapped, "Like I'd be in love with her!"

"She doesn't seem to understand anything," Bason reasoned.

"Feh, you can say that again," Ren commented, "I could force her to do whatever I wanted with me and she wouldn't know what I was doing."

"I'm sure you would do nothing of the kind Master Ren," Bason gulped.

"Of course not…" Ren sniffed, "She's not that attractive…and what I saw of her body…really isn't worth my time…"

"Of course Master Ren," Bason sighed.

"Ren-san!" Lost called, opening the door, "Want me to wash your back?"

"NO!" Ren screamed, "I'm fine, get back in the room!"

"Okay…" Lost sniffled and then closed the door.

"My God…" Ren turned off the shower and rubbed himself dry with a towel. "She seriously is clueless."

* * *

Ren came out of the shower, the droplets sliding down his chest. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he walked back into the room to see Lost still sitting on his bed, waiting for him. Her face became red as she saw him. "Hey…you blushed…how come?"

"I don't know…" she said, "Seeing your bare chest…kind of made me feel self-conscious."

"At least you're human," Ren sighed, "Turn the other way." Lost turned around as Ren slipped on his clothes. She turned back around as Ren sat next to her.

"How was your shower?" she asked pleasantly, the blush wearing off her face.

"Fine," he said gruffly, "Hey…how are your wounds? Did you take off the bandages when you went into the shower?"

"No…" Lost shook her head, "Was I supposed to?"

"Idiot!" Ren ran to her side to see soaked bandages. "Let me change them! Oh crap…you must be hurting!"

"No…I'm fine…" she shook her head.

"I should change them anyway," Ren told her, taking a new wrap of bandages and re-bandaging her arm. As he finished, he stopped, "There, finished."

"Thanks," Lost smiled, "Hey Ren!"

"What?" he asked tersely.

"I think I have a crush on you!" she laughed and Ren blushed furiously.

"Y-you're not supposed to tell me that!" he told her.

"Ooops, just kidding!" she laughed, writhing on the bed, "You're so much fun to be with!"

He stopped. No one…no one had ever said that to him… "Lost…"

"C'mon!" Lost smiled, grabbing his hand, "Let's go watch that box together!" And with that, Lost pulled Ren out of his room to the living room.

* * *

Oh yeah!Thanks to all my reviewers! Get ready for chapter 3!

Chapter 3: Let's Go on a "Date!"


	3. Let's Go On a Date!

A Lost Soul – Chapter Three – Let's Go on a "Date"!

* * *

"I don't want to watch this stupid thing…" Ren insisted as Lost pulled him onto the sofa and turned on the television. "It's a waste of my valuable time!"

"Awww, c'mon! It'll be fun!" Lost insisted as she started pressing numbers. She stopped on a movie with a couple kissing in a restaurant. "Let's watch this!"

"No, let's not watch anything!" Ren snapped, trying to grab the remote.

"But I love this!" Lost told him, "C'mon, let's watch it together!"

"I really don't want to…" Ren snapped, "I'm going to lift weights again."

"You do that all day!" Lost pouted. "You never spend time with me!"

"I just met you yesterday!" Ren screamed.

"So! I have a crush on you so watch with me!" Lost insisted, "Ooops…I forgot, that's supposed to be a secret."

Ren stared at her and then rolled his eyes, "I'll never get a moment's peace unless I watch this stupid box with you." He plopped down next to Lost and she squealed.

"Yay!" she clapped her hands, "Let's watch together…" she grabbed Ren's arm and snuggled into his chest, making him blush cherry red.

"H-hey, let go of me!"

"Not gonna!" she laughed and squeezed with more force.

"Let go!" Ren commanded, trying to wave his arm.

"Not gonna, not gonna!" she laughed and held on tighter.

"LET GO NOW!"

Crack! With a swift move, Ren's hand slapped Lost's face, making her eyes widen until the iris was completely shown. Ren looked at the pain in her eyes, and felt guilty slightly, but quickly masked it. "It's-it's your fault for not letting go!"

"H-help…" Lost whispered. Ren looked at her and noticed that buckets of tears were flowing down her face. "I-I'm sorry…don't hit me…please don't hit me…please…STOP, STOP PLEASE!" She grabbed her hair and tugged so hard on her scalp that Ren thought she would just tear out her hair. "AARRRGGGH! STOP, PLEASE STOP FATHER!" she shrieked violently.

"Stop it Lost! Stop, it's okay!" Ren grabbed her wrists and thrust her toward him, "STOP!"

"FATHER, I'M SORRY, STOP, PLEASE STOP!" she continued to scream, and Ren started to shake her.

"Stop it Lost!" Ren screamed, "It's okay!" He gulped as Lost continued to scream, and then, in one sudden motion, he pulled her head close to his chest. "It's okay…It's going to be okay, so stop crying dammit!"

"R-Ren-san…" Lost whispered.

"Please stop crying…" he told her, stroking her hair, "Please…"

"Ren-san…" Lost cried, "I…I remember…"

"You do?" Ren asked, "Your name?"

"No…just…that…" Lost blinked, "I was hit…and…stabbed…and then…I…" she gulped and pulled the zipper of her dress down. She turned around and Ren's eyes widened as he saw a giant burn mark on her back. It was a circle with five circles in the middle and a giant cross through the entire thing.

"Lost…"

"I have a mark on my back too…" Lost said, working her hands under Ren's shirt and feeling his back. "Like you…we're the same…"

"Lost…" Ren whispered and then, in a fleeting motion, felt himself grab her waist and hold her close to him. He felt the burn mark on her back as she delicately fingered his mark. "Do you…have any other wounds?"

"I…I don't think so…" she shook her head, "All on the inside. What about you?"

"I'm the same…" Ren nodded, resting his head on her shoulder. She did the same to him and they sat there for a second, fingering each other's backs and just stopping time to be with one another. "Lost…I…"

"Ren…let's go on a date," Lost smiled, "Since we both feel the same way, and you said that you don't know if people have to be in love to go on dates!"

"Lost…" Ren looked at her, "I…it's ridiculous!" He quickly backed away, making Lost let go of his back. "I'm much too busy."

"At least watch the box with me!" Lost insisted, "Please?"

"I…I'll watch the television…"

"Is that what it's called?" Lost asked and Ren nodded. "Then let's watch!"

* * *

But after about thirty minutes of the program, Lost was asleep against the couch while Ren was ready to beat his brains out due to the dull program. "Lost…can we stop now?" he looked over and saw Lost asleep. He sighed and flicked off the TV, all too happy to do so. "I guess she's really tired…"

"Ren-san…" Lost murmured in her sleep, "Let's get married…"

Ren looked at her, his eyes still narrowing, "Lost…"

"I have a crush on you…" Lost murmured again, and, to Ren's surprise, she grabbed his waist and nuzzled into his chest, making him blush ten shades of red. "I love you Ren-san…"

"Hey! Get off of me!" he tried to pull her off, but it was no use, she was clinging tight. Ren stopped, looked at her, smiling warmly and then stopped. "I…I guess…I can just sleep here tonight."

* * *

RRRRIIIINNNNG! "GOD DAMMIT!" Ren screamed as he jumped up the next morning as the loud ringing of the phone came into his ear. He jumped up, Lost now only lightly snuggled against him. As he picked up the receiver, he realized it was already 11:30 A.M. "What?"

"Ren…it's me, Jun," Jun's voice spoke over the phone, "How are you and that girl?"

"Lost and I are fine…I'm not a baby anymore Jun, I can take care of myself."

"Lost?" Jun questioned, "What's lost?"

"No…the girl…umm…well…I kind of named her Lost." A silence came over the phone that suggested the coy smirk that Jun had plastered on her face. "It means nothing! I just couldn't call her "hey you!" could I?"

"Is she being a bother?"

"Oh no, she's charming," Ren drawled sarcastically. "She won't leave me alone, I swear! Last night, she clung onto me so I had to sleep on the couch!"

"Looks like she's got a thing for you," Jun giggled.

"Please…yesterday…I had to explain love to her…"

"Oh…and you're an expert on that."

"I'd rather not talk about it. She already wants us to go on a "date"…" Ren grimaced.

"Why not? It might be fun to get out of the house. You're always cooped up in there anyway," Jun pointed out. "And Lost must be really sweet."

"She…" Ren stopped, "Please…she's a pest."

"I'm sure…be nice Ren. G'bye."

"Goodbye Jun…"

As Ren hung up the phone, he looked back over at the couch to see Lost still sleeping peacefully. He sighed, shook his head, and made his way over to her. He lightly shook her, and she opened one eye. "G'morning Ren…how are you?"

"I'm fine," he sniffed, sitting down, "Have a good sleep?"

"Great…I felt like something really soft was looking after me…" she smiled, "Soft…but strong…like an aura you know?"

Ren blushed, not acknowledging that she had fallen asleep against him in the middle of the night. "Feh, you're talking craziness."

"Ren…" Lost blushed and looked at him in the eye, her own eyes glossy.

"What?" Ren asked, annoyed, and slightly disturbed at her face.

"I…I…I can't keep it a secret anymore," she shook her head, "I have a crush on you!"

"YOU IDIOT!" Ren gave her a sharp hit across the head, "You already told me that like a thousand times! I don't care!"

"B-but now that I told you properly, we can go on a date right?" she asked, smiling. "Please!"

"No…" Ren shifted his eyes, "We can't, cause I don't feel the same way about you."

"H…how can I make you feel that way about me?"

"You can't. I've never loved anybody and I never will."

"B-but…" Ren looked over at Lost and blushed as he saw tears forming in her eyes and her face turning red. She was on the verge of crying, "but you…you—I really like you…but you…you never pay attention to me, and all I ever…ever do is cause you problems…and…I want you to be happy…so…"

"Will you stop CRYING!" Ren screamed, almost aggravated at the tears the girl could produce. Lost stopped suddenly and Ren sighed. "Lost, we're NOT going on a date, all right!" With that, Ren jumped up and went to the weight room, leaving Lost alone.

* * *

Lost hadn't bothered Ren all through his workout and, as weird as it was to say, he was slightly worried about her. 'She usually would be in here annoying me…' He deduced, his eyebrow arched as he crunched his abdomen. There was a silence, even in his mind. 'I mean…wouldn't she be upset since I said we weren't going on a date?' He paused again as he pressed his abs over and over. 'Maybe…she hates me…'

"Lost!" He called harshly and in a few seconds, Lost poked her head into the door frame. He sighed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm…I'm not bothering you…" Lost said meekly.

"Come in here!" Ren snapped and Lost shook her head. "I said come in here!"

"I…I can't…I look…dumb…"

"What do you mean? How can you look dumb?" Ren asked, sneering slightly. "Get in here, NOW!"

Lost sighed and then stepped into the door frame and Ren dropped the weight he had just taken out of his abdominal region.

Lost had tried on another one of Jun's dresses, only this one had been from when Jun was fifteen. It was one of her favorites that she couldn't throw away. It was red with gold trim and a high leg slit. The dress was covered with gold and white orchids and it tightly grasped around Lost's curves. On her feet were Chinese red slippers. Lost lowered her head, and Ren realized she had tied part of her hair in a red ribbon. She definitely didn't look dumb. "Y-y-you…"

"I know!" she blushed as red as the dress. "I look…stupid…don't I?"

"Feh…" Ren snapped. "I just realized that you've been poking your nose through Jun's closet."

"It's that…" Lost bit her lip and blushed. "All…all of the girls on the tebelision…"

"Television," Ren corrected tersely.

"Right…on the box…" she scrunched up her eyes, "all the women who went on dates with the boys they had crushes on looked really pretty." Ren's eyes widened. He knew now what this was about. "They…their eyes were pretty colors and their hair was really shiny. And they wore nice clothes…but I don't have pretty colored eyes, or lips, or cheeks. I don't have any pretty clothes…and…my hair isn't shiny either…" She looked up at Ren. "Is that why you won't go on a date with me?"

Ren didn't want to admit it, but Lost was an extremely pretty girl. He thought her hair was perfectly shiny, and the pale fluffy blonde that it was colored was a rare color that Ren appreciated. Her curves were perfect and she had a nicely shaped face. "Bah…" he snapped again, "you're so stupid. Those women have make-up on! It's stuff that makes your face look prettier when you're not already beautiful." Ren looked up at her. "You may be as dumb as a brick, and annoying, but you've got one thing going for you. You're not ugly…"

Lost looked at Ren, surprised and she then walked up to him, smiling. "How do I look?" She twirled and Ren saw the dress flare up slightly, revealing her slender legs.

"Feh…all right…I guess," Ren shrugged and reached for the weight he had dropped, only to have it slip out of his sweaty hands.

"You dropped it," Lost smiled, then kneeled down next to him. She leaned over him and picked up the weight. As Lost leaned over Ren, he blushed furiously, and found himself staring at the slit in her dress. Lost smiled at Ren and offered him the weight. "You dropped this."

"Whatever…" he snatched it, his face still red.

"Ren-san…" Lost smiled and sat down on the blue mat in the room as Ren began to lift the weight absent-mindedly, still blushing and thinking about Lost in the dress. "Why are you working out so much?"

"So I can be Shaman King."

"Huh?"

"You wouldn't understand…" Ren sighed. "You probably can't even see ghosts…"

"Ghosts? What are those?" Lost asked, and Ren almost fell over.

"You don't even remember what a ghost is?" Ren snapped, his eyebrows arched dangerously. "It's a spirit that lives on earth. Only shamans can interact with ghosts."

"How…how can you tell what a ghost is?" Lost asked. "Ren-san?"

"Wait for one question to be answered before you ask another one," Ren said sharply. "But what?"

"Am…am I a…ghost?"

"Huh?"

"You said you were a Shaman," she pointed out. "And…it seems like…I was alone, before I met you. Maybe…" her eyes became slightly dull. "I'm just a ghost."

"Bason is a ghost, not you!" Ren snapped. "You're not dead, you're a human!"

"Bason? Who's that?" Lost asked.

"I forgot…you probably can't see him…" Ren sighed. "He's my spirit ally."

"Is…" Lost stopped, grew a confused look and then pointed behind Ren. "Is he that man who seems to follow you everywhere?"

"HOLY CRAP YOU CAN SEE HIM!" Ren's eyes almost bugged out of his head as he stared at Bason, who was, indeed, behind him where Lost was pointing. "Bason! Does she have any shamanic focus? I'm not sensing anything…"

"No Lord Ren," Bason shook his head. "Nothing I can speak of…she seems to be an ordinary mortal."

"So…you're not a shaman, but you can see ghosts, huh?" Ren asked, his eyebrow arched at Lost. "Oh well, that might make things easier on me…"

"So you're Bason?" she asked Bason and he nodded. "I'm Lost, pleased to meet you!"

"Hello Lady Lost," Bason bowed. "I see you are Lord Ren's lover?"

Ren blushed furiously. "BASON, YOU FOOL, SHE IS NOT!"

"No…" Lost shook her head. "But guess what?" She whispered to Bason. "I have a crush on Ren!"

"A what?" Bason asked. "I do not understand Lady Lost."

"It means I love him, but I can't tell him! But you can tell him, right?"

"You've already told me!"

"Lord Ren, Lady Lost has…a…"crush" on you," Bason reported, still slightly confused.

"I KNOW!" Ren screamed and then stood up suddenly. "I'm going to take a nap, this is aggravating me!"

"I do not understand, but it seems Lord Ren should be left alone…" Bason said. "Perhaps you should leave Lord Ren be for a while."

"More like forever!" Ren yelled from his room before slamming the door shut.

* * *

Awww…how sad, yet how steamy! Ren's got a crush on Lost, Ren's got a crush on Lost!

Ren: Shut up before I order Bason to poke out your dumb authoress eyes!

Me: You don't mean that!

Ren: Wanna bet?

Me: Umm…on second thought…

Ren: That's what I thought. Review, after all, this story does star me, even if the annoying girl has some part.

Read and Review!


	4. I Walked Alone Until You Came

I Walked Alone Until You Came

The prequel song fic/chapter to "A Lost Soul" and my first song-fic! Yaaaaay! I hope you all like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Greenday!

* * *

_I walk a lonely road  
The only one that I have ever known  
Don't know where it goes  
But it's home to me and I walk alone

* * *

_

"Jun!" Tao Ren, holding his Kwan Dao over his shoulder, wearing a black sweatsuit and black Chinese slippers, called to his sister, even though he knew she was currently in the shower. "Jun, I'm going out training!" Jun didn't answer. It was obvious she couldn't hear him. Ren looked around and walked straight past his sister's Dao Shi – Lee Pailong. "Pailong," he commanded.

"Yes Ren-san?"

"Tell Jun that I'm going out training," he commanded. "Don't wait up for me, I'll be late."

"I'll be sure to give her the message Ren-san," Pailong smiled. "But are you sure you want to go out in the rain?"

"I'm fine, I don't remember giving you permission to boss me around."

"Of course Ren-san."

"Bason! Come!" Ren commanded and Bason followed him out the door of which Ren promptly shut, leaving Pailong alone to watch him walk through the door.

* * *

_I walk this empty street  
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams  
Where the city sleeps  
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

* * *

_

She didn't know what was happening. Who she was, what she was doing, why she was bleeding: it was all a strange mystery that she couldn't seem to grasp correctly. Something was coming to her…a knife…a face…a laugh. But it was blank, unclear.

Her dress was torn, her shoe was missing, but she was running through the rain bare-footed anyway. Mud splattered all over her bare feet and she winced as she felt her foot cut on a sharp rock. All she knew was that she had to get away…get away from that place. Thunder clashed…she looked ahead and kept running.

She didn't know where, but she knew that she had to run. Just run…as fast as she could.

* * *

_I walk alone  
I walk alone

* * *

_

"Master Ren, it is raining," Bason observed as they walked down the barren sidewalk. The watery drops fell on Ren's face and hair, slightly tousling it.

"Yes Bason, I'm not an idiot, I can see that."

"Perhaps we should return to training indoors," Bason suggested.

"I want to destroy a few things in the junkyard," Ren told him, steadfast in his decision.

"But why?"

"I just do!" Ren snapped and Bason quickly dropped the subject. "Something makes me want to go there."

* * *

_I walk alone  
I walk a... _

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
'Til then I walk alone

* * *

She had made it to something cold and hard. The rain was collecting on it. She looked down and saw that it was grey and solid. A pathway of some sort. The moon was covered by clouds. She kept running, the water mixing with her blood, making her wounds sting sharply.

"Argh!" She fell, and felt her face scratch on the sidewalk. She got herself up on her un-injured arm and felt her face. Good. No blood. Yet.

She hoisted herself back up. Her memories were skewed, she didn't know who she was or what she was doing, the only thing she did know was that she just had to keep running; running as fast as she could.

She kept on running, through the stinging, through the pain in her scratched cheek. She could've sworn that it was beginning to bleed.

* * *

_Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah,  
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah

* * *

_

"Almost there…" Ren spat. "I wish there was a quicker way." He paused. "Bason, you go on ahead and tell me how much farther it is. Be back in five minutes."

"Yes Master Ren," Bason bowed and quickly flew overhead and ahead of Ren. Ren watched him go and stopped on the sidewalk.

Ren paused, looked down at the sidewalk, his Kwan Dao still wrapped in its cloth. He stopped and stared up at the sky. "Funny…" he paused. "I can't even see a single star."

* * *

_I'm walking down the line  
That divides me somewhere in my mind  
On the border line  
Of the edge and where I walk alone

* * *

_

She fell again. She couldn't go on, the pain was too much. Her blood ran with the water, creating a crimson run-off that sped down the street. She couldn't stop…but she couldn't go on. What was wrong with her?

Who was she?

Was she truly alone?

She looked up at the sky. No light was there to guide her. She looked at the sky longer and then: gave a silent prayer. "Guide me…" she choked and fell back onto the bloody water. She lifted her head with the last of her strength and gasped as she saw one star leading north.

She found the strength to get up and follow the star to wherever it led. She prayed to herself. 'Dear God…please lead me home.'

* * *

_Read between the lines  
What's fucked up and everything's alright  
Check my vital signs  
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone _

I walk alone  
I walk alone

* * *

Ren looked up once again and his eyes widened. "A…star?" Ren raised his eyebrows. "That wasn't there a second ago…"

"Lord Ren," Bason called to Ren to snap him out of his stargazing. "It is about five minutes up ahead."

"Let's walk faster," Ren snapped, walking rapidly forward. "That'll make it four."

* * *

_I walk alone  
I walk a...__  
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
'Til then I walk alone

* * *

_

She kept running forward towards the star. But every step seemed like a mile. Her hair was matted across her face from the rain. She shivered, it was the first time she realized she was cold through the biting pain. Her knees were scratched.

Every block of grey pathway seemed to add up until she couldn't count anymore. They just kept going. When she hit a corner, she ran across the street until she got to the pathway again. Just keep following the star.

Her toes were bruised, she could tell. Her attire was starting to grow soggy and heavy, making it only harder to walk in. The short straps didn't help her situation either.

The bleeding had slowed, and the cold was becoming the bigger threat to comfort. She needed to survive…but everything was so large and different. She didn't know who she was, where she was, or why she was there. She then realized something:

That star was the only thing keeping her going.

* * *

_Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah  
Ah-ah, Ah-ah

* * *

_

"Hyah!" Ren screamed as he sliced his first piece of garbage. Just warming up, Ren paced himself as he started to work out. He thrashed a large washer, then turned to see if there were any other worthy pieces of garbage to test his strength against. "Hyah, hyah!"

"Master Ren, I still do not understand," Bason commented. "Although we ghosts cannot feel the temperature, I understand that it must be very cold. Wouldn't you rather train at home?"

"Those who give into the weather are the weak Bason," Ren snapped. He then threw off his shirt and passed it to a nearby dirt clod. "I'm not even affected."

'Anyway…' Ren thought, biting his lip slightly. 'Something tells me…just wait for five more minutes…'

* * *

_I walk alone  
I walk a...

* * *

_

She had been running for she didn't know how long. It seemed like days, although it was probably only a few hours. Still, she had lost so much blood that she didn't know if there was any left to pump through her veins. Maybe her veins would just stop working.

He didn't know how long he had been training. It felt like days, although it was probably only a few hours. He was sweating hard, still crying out and destroying anything he could find. Sometimes, he destroyed things that were already partially sliced in half. Something kept him there.

She rounded another corner and looked up. The star was still there, but it was bigger, and brighter then ever before. She knew she was close. So close she could almost feel the star.

He sliced another metal object and looked up. The star was still there, but it was bigger and brighter then it had seemed before. What had brought him there? What made him stay. He stopped and shook his head.

"I suppose we should head back now, I need to sleep if I'm going to get maximum training in tomorrow."

"Yes Master Ren," Bason got up and Ren collapsed his Kwan Dao and stuffed it in his shirt pocket. He kept walking, but then stopped suddenly and looked up, his yellow eyes shining.

"Bason…there's someone coming," Ren spoke softly, and then pulled out his kwan dao. "No ordinary cockroach would be out her at this hour… Keep a look out…" He slowly stepped forward, making not a sound with his Chinese slippers and then, lunged forward. "HYAH!" he screamed, then stopped in his tracks as he saw her stagger forward, beaten, bloodied, and crying. "What…in the world…?"

She looked up at him and then, looked up at the sky. The star was gone…she looked at him and saw something glint of the tip of his weapon.

It was the star.

"Hel-help…help please…" she muttered, then, reaching out her hand to him, fell to the ground, knowing she had finally found her star.

Ren looked at the girl with wide eyes. Was…was she the reason that he felt he had to come here, to stay here?

* * *

_I walk this empty street  
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams  
Where the city sleeps  
And I'm the only one and I walk a... _

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
'Til then I walk alone...

* * *

Ren paused as he woke up from his nap. He shook his head as he sat up from the bed. He had been having another dream, this one about last night. He remembered every detail in the dream. But…who was that girl running? Was it…no…

Ren quietly opened the door to see Bason talking with Lost on the couch. He kept hidden to hear what they were talking about.

"You must excuse Master Ren," Bason told Lost and she sat smiling at him. "He must be tired."

"I'm fine," Lost smiled.

"I can understand if you would like to return to your home as soon as possible," Bason assured her. Ren scowled.

Lost bit her lip and Ren looked down at his feet. 'She really does hate me…she wants to go home, doesn't she?'

"But, I am home."

'Huh?' Ren looked up, surprised to see Lost smiling widely.

"Ren's my star!" she laughed. "I'm home."

'Lost…' Ren breathed, then caught his breath quickly, making Bason and Lost turn towards him.

"Ren! You're up!" Lost ran over to him and embraced him in a hug. "Did you enjoy your nap?"

"Sure, whatever," Ren wriggled out of the hug and slammed himself on the couch. Lost joined him. "Hey Lost…"

"What Ren?"

Ren looked at her and gulped. "Have you ever been stargazing?"

* * *

The End of Chapter 4! A song-fic/chapter thing! I hope you liked it!

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT CHAPTER! EEEKS!


	5. Stargazing

Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed the song fic of the last chapter! I know I did. GO BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS! Now! Let's think…what could happen in this chapter?

Well, I think the title says it all:

Chapter 5: Stargazing

WOOHOOO! Let's get the chapter moving!

* * *

"Stargazing?" Lost cocked her head, obviously confused by Ren's question. "What's that?"

"When you look at the stars in the night sky," Ren explained. "Stars are directly related to spirits. The best spot in this Spirit-forsaken town is at the Funbari Graveyard."

"That sounds scary!" Lost cowered. "A graveyard is where dead people live!"

"You remember that, but you don't remember what your name is?" Ren asked skeptically and she nodded, sheepish. "Anyway...we're going to the graveyard and that's final."

"Okay," Lost mumbled. "Should I go get changed?"

"Change into something warm," Ren instructed. "We go at Midnight."

* * *

The sun was just setting and Ren was watching the sun lower under the tall buildings of Funbari though the wide windows in the room. Bason was standing behind him, looking as though he wanted to speak, but was afraid to.

"What is it Bason?" Ren asked coldly. "I'm getting annoyed by you standing over me like that."

"Well…Master Ren," Bason spoke slowly, as if cautious. "It seems that Lady Lost would rather go to another spot then the graveyard. Perhaps you should take her somewhere else?"

"We're going to the Graveyard," Ren snapped. "It's the best spot."

"But…umm…not the most…what is the word…" Bason searched for it. "Oh yes, romantic."

"It's not supposed to be romantic you idiot!" Ren yelled and Bason backed off, nodding to Ren. "I'm just tired of being cooped up in this dumb house all day."

"Of course Master Ren."

"Umm…Ren?" Ren turned around to see Lost coming up to him in another one of Jun's smaller sized dresses – this one long sleeved and colored violet with lily patterns and high slits. "Is this dress all right?"

"It'll be fine," Ren snuffed and turned back towards the window, trying to hide the blush on his face.

"Ren-san?"

"What?" he snapped, growing annoyed.

"D-do…do we have to go to the Graveyard?"

Ren turned around, his eyebrows narrowed. "Yes! I told you! It's the best spot!"

"B-but…I'm scared…"

"I don't care!" Ren snapped and then walked over to his room. "I'm going to get ready! We're leaving in six hours!"

* * *

Ren stood in front of the mirror five hours later, still straightening his tie. "Damn tie, won't stay damn straight!" He snarled, trying to straighten it more. It was black, like his jacket and knee length-shorts. He wore a white dress shirt and polished shoes. "Dammit!"

"Are you all right Master Ren?" Bason asked, poking his head through the door…literally.

"This dumb tie won't stay straight!" he snapped to Bason.

"I'll tighten it!" Lost slammed the door open, walking straight through Bason and running to Ren's side. She quickly grabbed the tie and started to straighten it.

"Wh-what? Were you listening at the door the entire time?"

"I got bored…" she bit her lower lip, looking slightly guilty. She finally released the tie. "There! Perfect!" Ren looked in the mirror and almost cocked a smile. The tie was straight…finally. "Ready to go?"

"Whatever," Ren shrugged and walked out of his room. "Bason, stay here, I'll be fine without you."

"Whatever you say Master Ren," Bason nodded.

"C'mon," Ren said gruffly, and he took Lost's arm in the crook of his. "We're going." Ren blushed as Lost snuggled up close to him, his face now crimson with embarrassment.

As the two walked out, Bason watched them go and sighed. "I hope it will not rain tonight."

* * *

"Here we are," Ren sniffed as they arrived at the graveyard on the hill. Lost looked up at the tree in the very middle. "C'mon, we're going to the top."

"R-Ren…" Lost whimpered. "I'm scared."

"Don't be such a baby! Seriously," Ren scoffed. "You can see ghosts can't you? They can't scare you that much!"

"I-it's not that…" Lost whimpered again. "I'm just scared…that's all…"

"You're being ridiculous, c'mon!" Ren grasped her hand tightly and jerked her forward, making her whine slightly.

"R-Ren!"

"I said c'mon!" he yelled again. But he didn't get very far before Lost snapped her hand away from his and dropped to the ground, grabbing her arms in fear. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

"I…I…I…" Lost was breathing heavily and sweating bullets. Her eyes were wide, bulging, and slightly red from blood-shot. "I don't wanna…"

"What? What don't you want to do?" Ren asked a little frightened.

"I don't want to eat dirt…" Lost whimpered. "Don't make me, please!"

"Eat…dirt?" Ren asked, his own eyes wide in horror and curiosity. "What the devil are you talking about!"

"I DON'T WANT TO EAT IT! DON'T MAKE ME!" Lost writhed, screaming loudly. "ARGGGH!" Her head fell into the dirt, as if someone was pushing her. She screamed and threw her head up. "I don't want to eat Mommy's dirt!"

"LOST!" In a flash, Ren snatched Lost across the waist and pulled her back from the dirt against a tombstone. Lost breathed heavily in Ren's arms, and Ren was sweating slightly. "Lost…what the hell was that?"

"I…I don't know…" Lost mumbled. "I just remember…someone held my head…in a graveyard…and…I had to eat the dirt…I screamed…"

"Who in the world would make you eat dirt?" Ren asked skeptically. "C'mon, let's go watch the stars."

"I'm scared of this place…" Lost mumbled again. "I'm scared you'll make me eat Mommy's dirt."

"Mommy's…dirt?" Ren asked. "Your mother…is she…dead?"

Lost looked up, as if realizing something. "Yes…yes! Yes! My mother…she's dead… I don't remember her name…only…only that she's dead."

"Is she buried here?" Ren asked her.

"No…not here…" Lost shook her head. "She's buried far away…"

"I see…" Ren stopped, looked at the tree and the hill, and sighed. "Fine…I'll take you someplace else."

"Huh?" Lost turned around to see Ren standing up.

"I said I'll take you someplace else! Get up before I change my mind!" Ren snapped and started to walk out of the graveyard, Lost looking after him. She smiled, got up, and sped after Ren, not wanting to be left behind.

* * *

"This is the second best spot," Ren snuffed. The two had walked for a while through the city and had finally come across a river right under the stars on the edge of town. Ren sat down near the bank and Lost joined him, staring at the stars.

"They're so pretty Ren!" she laughed, pointing to the stars in the sky.

"Yeah…they are, aren't they?" Ren asked, smiling at the stars.

"That's the first time you've smiled!" Ren stopped and turned to see Lost grinning at him.

"Wh…what?"

"You just smiled!" Lost laughed. "I've never seen you smile like that!" Ren blushed crimson as Lost giggled. He decided to change the subject.

"See that?" he pointed to a star in the sky. "That's Orion's belt."

"Huh? No it isn't, it's a star!" Lost told him.

"You're so dumb. Stars make up constellations! That's part of Orion, the hunter of the sky!" Ren snapped.

"Oh…" Lost smiled and pointed to a star. "What's that one?"

"That's…that's Ursa Major," Ren explained. "And that's the North Star."

"Which star is that?" Lost asked giggling. Ren looked at it.

"That one?" Ren stared closely. "I don't know…I've never seen that star before. I know every star in the sky."

"Then let's name it together!" Lost suggested happily and Ren gave a short scoff. "What should we name it?"

"How about "this is dumb"?" Ren suggested.

"No, that's a bad name!" Lost frowned. "I know…let's call it…Love!"

"Love?" Ren asked skeptically. "What a dumb name for a star…"

"How about…Lost Love then?" Lost suggested. "Like my name!"

Ren looked at her, and blushed. Trying to shake it off, he threw himself down on the grass and looked up at the sky. "Whatever, like I care anyway."

Lost lay down next to him, smiling widely at her new star. "It'll be our star! Lost Love," she smiled warmly. "What a wonderful name for our star…"

Ren stopped and turned his head towards Lost who's eyes were shining brilliantly as she looked affectionately at the star. Her hair was shining in the moonlight, and her beautiful facial features were accentuated by the calm light of the river. Ren couldn't help himself, he moved closer to Lost, his body now snuggled against hers. "Ren?" Lost turned her head, and they both blushed as they saw that their faces were only centimeters away.

"Lost…I…" Ren was breathing heavily, up and down, up and down. He looked at her innocent, sweet face and couldn't help himself. He closed his eyes and pushed his face forward onto hers.

And kissed her nose.

"Heh, heh, that tickles!" Lost giggled as Ren opened his eyes, amazed that she could talk through a kiss. Ren stared at Lost, and realized his mistake. He blushed brightly crimson. "What was that Ren?"

"N-n-n-nothing!" Ren quickly covered, getting up quickly, not being able to believe his stupidity. "It's…it's…what you do when you're done stargazing!"

"Huh?" Lost asked, a little disappointed. "That means it's over?"

"Yeah, it's over!" Ren snapped. "C'mon! We're going back home!"

"W-wait for me!" Lost called after him, grabbing his arm as the two walked along the road by the river.

* * *

"Umm…Ren?" Lost asked as the two walked along the surface streets.

"What?"

"Thanks…for taking me stargazing tonight…" Lost said softly.

"Feh," Ren blushed and scoffed. "It was just to get you to shut up."

"Oh," Lost smiled warmly at Ren, then grabbed his hand and stopped him. Ren turned around, obviously annoyed.

"What!"

Before Ren could say anything else, Lost pressed her lips to his nose, and he felt his face turn crimson. He didn't stop her until she was finished. "Wh-what was that?"

"You said that you do that when you've finished stargazing with somebody!" Lost told him, giggling. She grabbed Ren's arm and started pulling him down the street. "C'mon! I'm tired, let's get back home!"

* * *

"Umm…Master Ren?" Bason inquired as Ren opened the door, Lost in his arms, fast asleep.

"She got sleepy, so I had to carry her, all right?" Ren snapped.

"Yes Master Ren," Bason bowed.

"I'll put her on the couch," Ren threw Lost down on the couch and then grabbed a blanket. He put it over her sleeping form, and then fluffed the pillow that was under her head. "There."

"How were the stars Master Ren?" Bason asked.

"Fine…we found a new one," Ren shrugged.

"A new…star?"

"Lost called it "Lost Love". How cheesy is that?" Ren asked, scoffing lightly. He looked back at Lost, then narrowed his eyes. "Bason!"

"Yes Master Ren?"

"Go outside for a moment, I think I sense something out there."

"Are you sure Master Ren? I do not sense any-"

"JUST GO FOOL!"

"Yes, Master Ren," Bason bowed and quickly flew outside of the room. Once Ren sensed that Bason had completely left, he went around to Lost and sat down next to her.

"It…was nothing…" Ren told himself more then her. "I…I didn't really want to kiss you. It…was just…an impulse, that's all." Ren shook his head. "An impulse…just like this…" Ren moved his face down to hers and kissed her lightly on the nose. Once he rose his head, he looked at her. "Just an impulse…"

With that, Ren walked over to his room, opened the door, and shut it behind him.

* * *

The end of Chapter 5! Did you all enjoy it? I know I did!

Don't forget to review!

Next chapter: Our First Date


	6. Our First Date

Author's Notes: Yeah! Chapter six already! I'm so happy!

Anyway, enough of my silly ramblings! There is no time!

Chapter 6: Our First Date

* * *

"_EAT IT!" Lost, small, about six years old, stood in a graveyard in front of a plain gray gravestone with three words on it: Assassiné Par Child. Lost was being held by the neck, and she was crying wet tears that ran down her dirty and red face. "EAT MOMMY'S DIRT!"_

"_I don't want to!" Lost cried more, only to have her face plunged into the dirt. Her tears turned the dirt wet. "Help!" she screamed._

"_EAT IT! EAT IT NOW!"_

"_STOP IT!" Lost felt her neck released as a voice pulled the person who was holding her off of her. "Stop it! You're only hurting her!"_

"_Stay out of it!"_

_The memory flickered, the two screamed at each other. Lost coughed up the dirt that was in her mouth. She breathed heavily, and then screamed as a foot stomped on her back. "You haven't eaten your fill…eat more of our Mother's dirt!"_

"_NO, STOP!"

* * *

_

"NO, STOP!" Lost threw herself up, now in a cold sweat. She breathed heavily, clutching the blanket closer to her.

"Lost?" Ren threw open his door and ran to her side. "Lost, what the devil is wrong with you?"

"I…I had a nightmare…" Lost murmured, clutching the blanket closer. "It was…the memory of me in the graveyard…"

"You remembered?" Ren asked his eyes wide. "What happened?"

"I…I can't remember much…" Lost shook her head. "Just…just people…and…that grave stone." Lost's eyes flickered, remembering the words. "Assassine Par Child…"

"What does that mean?" Ren asked incredulously. "Sounds like a bunch of rubbish to me."

"The words…seem familiar…" Lost sighed. "I can't remember though – my mind is too foggy."

"It's almost daybreak, get some more sleep," Ren insisted. "I'm tired myself." Ren turned around to head back to sleep, only to have Lost grab his arm.

"Please, don't go!" she cried. "I'm scared…I'm scared!"

"Scared of what?" Ren scoffed. "A nightmare?"

"No…I'm scared of remembering…" Ren's eyes widened as Lost spoke shakily. "I'm scared…that if I remember too much…I'll discover something I don't want to."

Ren looked at Lost, who was now shaking on the couch under her blanket. "All right, just stop being such a coward about it! I'll make you some breakfast," Ren sighed and walked past the couch into the kitchen.

"Th-thank you…" Lost bit her lip.

"What's in the refrigerator?" Ren peered into the icebox only to see it practically empty. "Damn, Jun didn't bother to send for more groceries. What did she expect me to do over here? Like I have time to go out shopping."

"Let me see." Before Ren knew what had happened, Lost had gotten up from the couch, pushed him out of the refrigerator, and peered inside. "You're silly Ren, look, there are eggs in here."

"Eggs?" Ren asked.

"How do you like your eggs?" Lost asked.

"Umm…scrambled," Ren mumbled as Lost began to take the eggs out from their carton. "With grated cheese."

"Hmm…we don't have cheese…but I know a great ham and scrambled eggs recipe."

"That's dumb!" Ren snapped and Lost turned to him. "How can you remember a dumb recipe if you can't even remember your own name?"

"I don't know…" Lost shrugged. "But…I always used to cook back…back…" she bit her lip. "I can't remember."

"Humph, as long as I get food, I don't care," Ren shrugged and sat down at the table. He watched Lost gracefully whisk the eggs and poor them into a frying pan, already greased with butter. She worked them around perfectly, creating just the right amount of fluffiness. While the eggs cooked, she quickly washed her hands and began to sizzle ham in another pan. "You're not bad at cooking."

"Thanks," Lost smiled. "I did it a lot…back…back…"

"You can't remember, I know," Ren scoffed and watched her continue to cook until she sizzled the ham into the pan of eggs and cracked another egg over the pan to mix. Ren didn't speak as he watched Lost finished cooking. "The plates are above the dish washer in the cupboard."

Lost reached for a plate, then gracefully scooped the eggs onto it. She placed the plate in front of Ren. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Milk," he responded promptly. "It's in the refrigerator." He started to scarf down the eggs while Lost got up and poured him a glass of cold milk. Only a moment after she set it down, Ren grabbed it and began to drink. Lost sat down next to him and watched him eat quietly. After a few moments, Ren realized that she was staring at him. "What, it's good, okay?"

"I'm just waiting for you to finish…" Lost murmured.

"Make yourself something while you wait," Ren told her. He continued to eat, but Lost didn't move. "What?"

"I'm…I'll eat whatever you don't finish…" Lost murmured softly and Ren looked up, his eyebrow cocked.

"What?"

"I'm supposed to eat whatever you don't finish…that's my breakfast," Lost told him. "I remember."

"Please!" scoffed Ren. He returned to the eggs, "Well I'm going to eat all of these eggs, so you won't get any breakfast."

"That's okay…" Lost bit her lip and Ren looked over. At almost the exact right time, Lost's stomach gave an enormous grumble.

"You idiot! You're hungry, make yourself food!" Ren snapped. "You were afraid of food, now you refuse to eat anything that I don't put my saliva on first?"

"That was because I hadn't made the food…" Lost told him. "I never ate food that I didn't prepare myself…except one time…" Her eyes flickered and she shivered. "I…I thought something was strange."

"Are you remembering?" Ren asked.

"I remember…that they served me food, and that never happened…I was scared…the next thing I knew, I was asleep." Lost shivered.

"Who's they?"

"I'm…I'm not sure…" Lost murmured. She bit her lip and looked at her lap, Ren's gaze still upon her. He sighed and looked down at his half-eaten eggs with an annoyed expression. He savored the fluffy taste in his mouth and quickly stood up. Lost looked up to see Ren walking over to the glasses on the counter. He grabbed one, walked steadily back to his chair, sat down, and started to pour half his glass of milk into the empty glass. He put it, and his plate, in front of Lost. "There!"

"B-but you're still hungry!" Lost insisted, pushing the food back towards Ren.

"I'm perfectly full thank you!" Ren snapped, pushing the plate back. "It wasn't that good anyway. I'll make myself something to eat."

Lost looked at Ren, who was blushing lightly and looking away, and smiled. She started to eat the eggs and drink the milk, obviously happy to have something in her belly. Ren grudgingly drank the remainder of his milk and stood up.

"Where are you going Ren?" Lost asked.

"I don't see why it's any of your business," Ren snapped. "I'm to go train some more."

"You're always training," Lost told him, pouting. "You never do anything with me!"

"I just took you stargazing last night!" Ren insisted. "How dumb are you?"

"We still haven't gone on our date!" Lost told him, getting up from the table, collecting the empty plate to wash. "Where should we go?"

"We're NOT going on a date!" Ren insisted to Lost. "Got it?"

"Please?" Lost asked, drying the dish after she had finished washing it. She put it in the cabinet and ran over to Ren. "It doesn't have to be long – just a small date!"

"I said no, and no means no!" Ren snapped. "I'm going to go run."

"Okay…" Lost sighed sadly and lowered her head. Her eyes widened and she leaned down. "Ren!"

"What now?" He yelled.

"Your pants have got a tear in them," Lost pointed to the cuff of his pants, and sure enough, there was a large tear at the cuff.

"So what?" Ren snapped.

"I'll mend them." Ren's eyes widened as he felt Lost's hand dive onto his waist and start to pull the pants down.

"WAIT, STOP!" He screamed, jumping back from her grasp. "I'll change out of them, then you can mend them, okay!"

"Okay," Lost smiled. "Ren?"

"What?"

"Once I mend your pants, can we go on a date?"

"Will you drop it?" Ren screamed. "We're not going on a date! That's final!"

"D-do…" Ren stopped and heard a sniffling behind him. He turned around and saw Lost, tears running down her cheeks. "Do you hate…do you hate me that much?"

Ren's eyes softened. He hadn't wanted her to cry. "It's…it's not that!" Ren snapped finally, and Lost looked up. "I-I…" he searched for an excuse, and then found one, "I don't have anything to wear!"

"Oh…" Lost nodded. "I didn't know you needed special clothes."

"You do!" Ren nodded. "You need "Date" clothes! I don't have any. Now I'm going to change out of my pants and get jogging."

"All right," Lost smiled. "I'll mend them while you're gone."

* * *

A few hours later, Ren had jogged the entire district five times, and was ready to return home. Bason was with him, timing his sprints and scaring away pedestrians with a slight sixth sense. Now, he was riding up in the elevator, a sweaty towel draped across his shoulders. "I hope Lost hasn't killed herself with the needle."

The doors opened and he walked towards his room. Fumbling in his pockets, he finally found the key and set it in the lock.

Opening the door, Ren heard Lost humming a tune to herself. He poked his head in and saw her sitting on the couch, her back turned the door. Her hands were moving gracefully, and the hum turned into a song.

Hélas, mon enfant, je t'aime puits

Tous ces enfants qui demeurent dans moi

Et toute l'heure où j'ai passée avec le thee

Ne sera pas gaspillé pour toujours

Je t'aime fils, du poing en acier

De l'extérieur froid

Dans l'abîme chaud

Un étrange s'obscurcit

Manière de pensée

Vous serez pour toujours près de moi

Ma chère fille de la vague violette

Votre vie est à vous

Pour faire comment vous voyez l'ajustement

Moi-même n'est pas pour que vous mélangiez

Une manière étrange et sans visibilité de voir

Mon pauvre, pauvre fils des couteaux d'or

Votre coeur est pur

Votre courage forme

Votre fidélité à l'amour à l'intérieur

Ne sera pas gaspillé pour toujours

Ma fille confuse de cramoisi écrivent

Votre service de doth de mémoire pas vous droit

Je considère le thee avec amour dans mes yeux

Et l'amour pour les autres

Et vous êtes celui qui tient mon cœur

Pour des rêves perdus et des âmes perdues,

Je prie pour le thee

Vous êtes celui qui m'a placé libre

Je souhaite que je pourrais être avec vous

Mais mon temps ne sera pas perdu pour toujours

"What the…?" Ren stepped in and walked through the front hall toward Lost.

"Oh, Ren, you're back," Lost turned around and smiled widely at Ren.

"Lost, what were you just singing?" Ren asked. "It sounded like a chant…" _But too beautiful to be a chant_, Ren thought to himself.

"My mother used to sing it to me," Lost told him. "Before she died."

"What do those lyrics mean?" Ren asked.

"I don't know," Lost shrugged. "It's an odd language, isn't it?"

"Anyway, I can't believe you haven't finished with my pants yet," Ren said, walking into the living room.

"But I did," Lost pointed to the chair and Ren saw his pants draped over the arm. "I've been working on something else with some spare fabric I found."

"Huh?" Ren turned around, and could have gasped when he saw Lost sewing a beautiful crimson red silk shirt with golden trim. It was a Chinese shirt, Lost must've completely eyed it from what Ren usually wore. "It's…"

"It's almost done," Lost smiled, biting the thread. "Do you like it? It's not very well made – and it's a simple shirt, but…"

"It's…amazing," Ren felt the fabric between his fingers. "How did you do that?"

"I know how to sew," Lost smiled. "Don't know how I do, but I do."

"Why did you make this for me?" Ren asked, looking up.

Lost stood silent for a few moments, then looked at her feet. "Is…is that shirt…"date clothes"?" She asked softly.

"Huh?" Ren asked, his head moving up.

"I made it for you so we could go on a date…" Lost bit her lip. "I'm sorry."

"Lost…I…" Ren looked at the shirt and bit his lip. He felt the red fabric between his fingers again and traced his finger across the gold lining. He narrowed his eyes and snuffed. "Get me the big yellow book on the kitchen table."

"Huh?" Lost looked up. "What for?"

"I need to find a restaurant," Ren told her, and for the first time, cracked a smile at her. "Only the best for our first date."

* * *

AWWWWW! Yes! Ren and Lost on a date! Next chapter! Woot! This chapter was kind of short -- but I think it'll do for now. Next chapter you're all going to love -- I'm sure!

Don't forget to review!


	7. Past Recollections

Chapter 7: Past Recollections

* * *

"REEENNN!"

"WHAT?"

"Is this outfit okay?" Lost ran out to the living room where Ren was flipping through the phone book, obviously annoyed at the many pages. Lost had tried on about ten outfits so far, always putting them back. She now wore a black one with long sleeves. Ren turned his head.

"What do you wan--" He stopped and his jaw dropped as Lost struck a pose against the door frame.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"Y-you look fine," Ren blushed and returned to the phone book. "You looked fine in the last ten outfits you tried on!"

"No, this one still isn't good enough!" Lost insisted, running back in Jun's room and throwing off the dress. "I have to find the best dress in the entire collection!"

"Jun's got a lot, you'll never finish," Ren snapped, then finally found the numbers listed for Restaurants. "Where do you want to go Lost?"

"Anywhere's fine!" Lost laughed.

"Hmmm…" Ren fingered the book, tracing his finger over a few ads, then finally settling on one. "This is the most expensive restaurant in the district…" he chewed the inside of his mouth and talked to himself. "But it's got a weird name…"

"Let me see!" Ren snapped his head around to see Lost snatching the phone book, now dressed in a golden colored short sleeved dress with a short skirt.

"Hey!" Ren snapped.

"You're so silly," Lost smiled. "It says Le Numinite Perdo! Midnight Lost! The perfect name!"

"Huh?" Ren snatched the book. "How can you tell…it's got weird characters."

"I don't know," Lost shrugged. "I guess I can just read it."

"And you know what it means!" Ren snapped. "Seriously, you're starting to confuse me with this weird language that you seem to know how to speak."

"Sorry," Lost bit her lip. "Do I look good in this one?"

"You look fine!" Ren snatched the phone and started to dial the number. "Will you stop changing?"

"But this one still isn't good enough!" Lost called as she ran back into Jun's room. "Only the perfect dress will do!"

"Hello?" Ren asked into the receiver. "I want to make reservations for two. That's right, tonight. Someplace secluded if you don't mind." He paused. "I'll be willing to put up 20,000 yen." He chuckled. "I thought you'd see reason. Don't forget, the best spot you have. Under the name Tao Ren. Yes, it's Chinese you twit, what do you think it is?" He threw the phone down, knowing that he could behave anyway he wanted to with 20,000 yen on the table.

Ren waited for Lost to come bursting out with yet another dress on, but, strangely enough, she didn't come. "Lost?" He asked.

"I'm almost ready!" Lost called. "I think I've found the perfect one!"

"It had better be," Ren grumbled. "Our reservations are scheduled in a half an hour."

"Okay…" Ren turned his head and almost gasped as Lost stepped into the door frame to model her dress. "I think this one is okay…"

Lost was wearing a tight white dress, decorated with a transparent material and rhinestone studs. The dress had a v-neck line and long tight sleeves that reached all the way to her wrists. She wore beige stockings and white high-heel shoes on her feet. Her hair was gathered into a bun at the top of her head with a few strands hanging down to frame her face. She smiled brightly, and Ren looked at her with wide, admiring eyes. "Do…I look okay?"

"You…" Ren bit his lip and gulped. "You look…beautiful."

Lost's eyes widened. "You…never said that to me before."

"Yeah, and I won't say it again!" Ren snapped, walking past her, trying to hide the blush on his face. "I'm going to get changed. Give me that shirt." Ren snatched the red shirt that Lost had made and slammed his door to get changed. "And don't even think about eavesdropping!"

* * *

"What's wrong with me?" Ren snarled as he threw on his black jacket over the red shirt. He was now dressed in pressed black slacks, a black jacket, and Lost's shirt. He pulled on his socks, and growled to himself. "My face is red…I can hardly breathe!" He stared at his knees, and his eyes drooped. "What…what the hell is wrong with me?"

Ren stood up and looked into his mirror. He stared up and down at himself. "I…look ridiculous." He knew that the red shirt and the jacket were not mean to be warned together, but it was cold, and he didn't want to freeze out there. He could just cancel the date…

But he didn't.

"It's…not a "date" date," Ren insisted to the mirror.

'Just keep telling yourself that,' the mirror responded and Ren scowled.

"I mean it!" Ren snapped. "I don't care about her at all!"

'Sure,' the him in the mirror smirked. 'Admit it…you've totally got the hots for her.'

"Shut up!" Ren screamed.

'Fine,' the mirror him shrugged. 'But you know the truth inside.'

"Are you ready to go yet Ren?" Lost called from the living room.

"Coming!" Ren called, throwing open the door. He gave one last look at the mirror, scowled, and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

"I'm so excited!" Lost smiled as the two walked down the sidewalk, heading toward the restaurant. Lost held Ren's hand, Ren letting her begrudgingly. "Are we almost there?"

"Almost," Ren sniffed. "You asked me that two minutes ago."

"What are we going to do there?"

"Eat food."

"What kind of food?"

"I don't know. Good food."

"That's good!" Lost snuggled up to Ren. "Is it okay to eat?"

"Don't worry…you won't wake up hurt."

"I trust you Ren," Lost said to Ren, and he blushed a bright red.

"W-we're here," Ren broke from Lost's arm and pointed to the restaurant. The dark sign at the top of the restaurant read its title "Le Numinite Perdo". Under the sign was a woman in a black, white, and navy blue uniform ready to welcome them in. Ren walked up to her swiftly. "I'm here for the reservations for Tao Ren."

"Oh yes, Tao-san," the woman smiled. "Come in, we have your table ready."

The glass doors swung open, and the woman led the two through the dimly lit romantic restaurant. Couples and business partners sat at tables, enjoying food and constantly being asked if they would like more champagne. Many of the people there gave Ren and Lost odd looks, wondering why a couple of kids had wandered into such a high class atmosphere. But the two ignored them as the woman led them to a secluded booth in the back, lit by a blue light. It was only large enough for two, and Lost quickly slid in to the table, Ren sitting across from her.

"Would you care for something to drink?" the woman asked.

"Any milk?" Ren asked, and the woman sighed.

"No sir, we only have cream for coffee. Would you care for some?"

"Green tea then," Ren told her. "She'll have the same."

"Does tea taste good?" Lost asked.

"Shhh!" Ren snapped. He turned back to the woman, who looked slightly confused. "That'll be all for a while."

"Yes sir," she nodded and walked down the aisles of the restaurant, leaving Lost and Ren alone.

"You can go asking questions like that around here," Ren snapped to Lost. "People are going to think something's up."

"What are we going to eat?" Lost asked, completely ignoring Ren's advice. He fumed slightly and tossed her a menu.

"Pick something."

"O-okay," Lost looked over the food on the menu. "What this?" she pointed to a dish and Ren peered over her shoulder at the menu.

"Broiled Chicken."

"And this?"

"Italian Salad."

"And this?"

"Poached salmon."

"And this?"

"LOOK, IT'S ALL FOOD, OKAY!" Ren shouted, then quickly quieted down as not to attract attention to himself and Lost. "I'll order for you! Got that?"

"Okay…" Lost smiled and rested her head against Ren's shoulder. "This place…it's warm."

Ren blushed furiously. "Uhh…do you want me to tell the manager to turn on the air conditioner?"

"Nope," Lost smiled, snuggling closer to Ren. "I like it."

Ren sighed, now slightly getting used to Lost's public displays of affection. He just sat there, flipping through the menu, looking over the same items over and over again, not able to take his mind off of Lost. A few minutes later, the waitress returned with their drinks, set them briskly down on the table, and left to go.

"Where are you going?" Ren asked rudely, and the waitress turned around, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Aren't you going to ask us what we'd like to eat?"

"Excuse moi, monsieur, I thought that you and the lady would like to be alone."

"We're not together if that's what you think!" Ren snapped, wriggling his arm until Lost came off. "She's a hopeless case, and I'm treating her out of pity."

"Mai oui, ave cantate le fu."

Ren looked over and saw Lost smiling at the waitress. The waitress blinked, then gained a light smile. "Unei carute le dat, madmosielle?"

"Oui."

"What are you babbling about?" Ren asked, snapping Lost back to look at him.

"Oh, I said that you're just embarrassed," Lost smiled and Ren facefaulted.

"I AM NOT!"

"Then she said that you probably had a short temper," Lost smiled once again and Ren looked at the waitress who was now blushing red.

"What language were you speaking?" Ren asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Sir, even if I told you, you probably would not understand," the waitress sighed. "What would you like for your meal?"

"What that language is."

"Sir…"

"You'd better tell me," Ren snarled. "Or I'll report you to the manager."

"Uncle would throw you out, you nasty pointy-haired little boy," the waitress narrowed her eyes, flipping back her hair. "Now… what-do-you-want-to-eat?"

"Your uncle's the manager?" Ren asked.

"Yes, not that it's any of your business," the woman nodded.

"If you don't provide me with some sort of information, I'll throw this tea all over you," Ren picked up his cup, showing that he was serious in this threat.

"Sir!" The waitress growled. "Let us just say that this young lady and I have a connection, don't we?"

"I've never met you before," Lost shook her head.

"Not a direct connection," the woman agreed, then smiled. "But surely you must know how we understand each other?"

"I'm sorry…" Lost bit her lower lip. "I…I don't know…what you're talking about."

The woman narrowed her eyes at Lost in a puzzled expression. "I…see… Well, this is odd. Oh well, what would you like to eat?"

* * *

But even when their food arrived, Ren didn't take a single bite. Lost, of course, ate all of her share, sneaking in a few bites from Ren's untouched plate. He sat there, his brow furrowed, angry about the lack of information given to him.

"I don't understand…" Ren snarled, gritting his teeth. "What did she mean by a connection?" He stabbed his steak with his fork violently. "What the hell did she mean?"

"REN!"

Ren jumped a foot as Lost let out a loud call of his name. He panted, then turned his head jerkily to Lost. "What?" he asked, extremely annoyed that she had interrupted his train of thought.

"I need to go to the bathroom!" she told him and he sighed, grabbing her arm.

"I'll take you." Ren got up from the table with Lost, walked down the stairs, and started to stomp through the main hallway. "Hey you!" he stopped a waiter. "Where's the bathroom? She needs to go."

"Right down the hall, sir," the man pointed and Ren nodded his head, not bothering to utter a "thank you" as he continued to pull Lost down the hall.

"It should be around here somewhere," Ren snarled. "God, I hate restaurants, they're so stuffy, and practically everyone stares at you." Ren eyed in the corner the restroom and sighed. "There."

He let go of Lost's arm and continued to walk. "Follow me, they're right over here." He kept walking, assuming that Lost was behind him. He kept walking through the rows of tables, ignoring couples staring at him, waiters backing off from him, and the fact that Lost was not behind him.

"We're here," Ren turned around. "Now go to the bathroom and…Lost?"

Lost was not behind Ren, or even in his line of vision. As he swiveled his head, he realized a horrible fact. "I lost her…"

"Crap!" he screamed, now running through the restaurant, knocking over waiters carrying food, jumping over chairs and tables, and desperately retracing his footsteps to try and find the lost Lost. "Lost! LOST! Where are you, dammit! You'd better answer now you dumb girl!"

"Sir!" a waiter stopped him in his tracks. "I must ask you to keep your voice down!"

"Keep my voice down my ass!" Ren snapped, throwing the waiter out of the way and continuing running. "LOST!"

"REN!"

Ren's face went blank with fear as he heard Lost scream his name. "LOST, I'M COMING!" He ran through the restaurant, trying to remember where he could have lost her. 'Where is she?' he thought. 'Think, Tao, think!'

_Ren eyed in the corner the restroom and sighed. "There."_

_He let go of Lost's arm and continued to walk. "Follow me, they're right over here." He kept walking, assuming that Lost was behind him._

"That's it!" Ren realized. "I let go of her arm in the middle of the hall when I first saw the restroom! She must have gone somewhere after that!" He jumped over a railing into the hall that they had been in and noticed another smaller hallway that branched out from that one. "She must be in there!"

He sprinted inside, his shoes making a padded sound against the blue patterned carpet. The small hall was filled with paintings, and he noticed that at the end of the hall were two more. One was marked "Employees Only." "If I know Lost…" Ren bit his lip and jumped over the rope barrier, "she's definitely in here!"

"LOST!" he called once more, running through the new hall.

"REN!" she screamed again, and this time Ren could hear her voice clearer. He was definitely getting closer.

"LOST, HOLD ON, I'M COMING!" He rounded another corner and saw her: Lost, huddled against the wall, face streaked with tears, finger pointing at a painting on the wall. Her hair was matted, as if she had run her fingers through it, and her dress was torn near the left leg.

Ren ran to Lost, and kneeled down next to her, making sure she wasn't hurt. "Are you okay?"

"L-look…" her hand was shaking as she pointed toward the painting. Ren turned his head, and his eyes widened.

On the plan white canvas was a picture of a large circle with five small circles and a cross in the middle of the entire symbol.

It was the symbol tattooed on Lost's back.

"I knew it," Ren snarled, picking up Lost, who was still huddled to herself, breathing hard. "That weird language, you understanding the name of the restaurant, and now this. There is definitely something going on here." He started to walk down the hall. "Time to have a talk with "Uncle"."

* * *

Before long, Ren and Lost, heading down the hall, had reached a door that said, "Manager: Marcel Telus". Ren gave a sharp knock.

"Who is it?" a low voice barked from inside.

"An unhappy customer."

"This area is for employees only," the voice said gruffly. "Leave."

Before anyone knew what had happened, Ren had kicked down the door and was standing in front of the desk of an elderly looking man smoking a cigar. He had grayish colored hair and a mustache and beard. Ren slammed his hands down on the desk. "Look old timer, I'm looking for some answers!"

"Then try a Private Investigator," the man mumbled, lighting the cigar in his mouth. "I'm afraid that a humble business owner like myself can't help you in that subject."

"Tell me about everything!"

"Everything is a broad subject my boy," the man said, lightly puffing on the cigar. "Please be more specific."

"The language, the name," Ren barked, "the painting!"

"The one of the Duchess of Normandy? Yes, I like that one myself."

"The one with the symbol!" Ren snarled.

"Which one is that, my lad?" the man asked. "I'm old, you must humor me, I'm afraid."

"Lost," Ren turned to her. "Zip down your dress so the man can see the symbol on your back."

"All…all right," Lost nodded, turned around, and slowly started to zip down the dress. As the symbol on her back became visible, the man's eyes widened, until Ren thought they would fall out of their sockets. He was shocked. Shocked beyond reason, that was evident. His hands trembled on his desk and sweat trickled down his brow.

"Where did you get that?"

"I'm asking the questions," Ren said, zipping up Lost's dress. "Where exactly did you get that painting?"

The man didn't answer, he just looked at Lost with his eyebrows arched in what seemed to be a sort of undisguised pity.

* * *

"Sir, do you have a reservation?"

"Yes…it should be right there…"

"I see it, thank you sir. Would you like our host to escort you to your table?"

"Actually, I'm just here for a visit." Outside of the restaurant, a young man in a heavy brown trenchcoat and fedora hat stood. He was tall, and obviously well built, and out of his hat, navy blue hair poked out. The hat shielded his eyes, but not the smile on his face. "With the manager, I'm an old, old friend."

"I see…would you like us to escort you to him?"

"No, I know the way." The man smiled, waved to the greeter, then walked inside the restaurant. Looking around, he smiled once more. "Come out, come out, wherever you are…" He leaned on the wall, resting on a chair for comfort. "I can smell you…my little flower."

* * *

"My name is Marcel Telus," the man shook his head, standing up and sitting on his desk so he was eye-level with Ren and Lost. "I'm the owner of this restaurant."

"I know that," Ren snarled. "Skip to the painting and the weird language."

"The painting will come later," Marcel insisted. "But the language…what do you speak of?"

"Your niece spoke it, and Lost spoke back," Ren snapped. "She's been speaking it a lot lately, but she doesn't know what it is."

"My niece?" Marcel asked. "I see…well, this all will take quite a bit of explaining."

"Make it short…"

"It all happened about twenty years ago," Marcel explained. "I lived in a small village outside Toulon, France, then, along with my niece and many others who work at this establishment. I wasn't a businessman then. In fact," he gave a wry smile. "I was a scientist."

"A scientist?" Ren asked.

"Yes," Marcel nodded. "Mainly interested in the human body and its amazing capabilities. You'd be surprised."

"Try me."

"But that's not important to the story," Marcel told him. "I remember, many of my family and friends were also scientists in the same field. You could call it a sort of "club". At first, the study of anatomy was a perfectly normal thing, and no one in Toulon resented it."

"At first?" Ren asked. "What happened?"

"Patience, my boy, patience," Marcel put up his hand to silence Ren. "I remember, out of all of my nephews and nieces, and friend's sons and daughters, there was one person who showed great promise. He," Marcel sighed, "is the one who sent me that painting."

"Why?"

"You have no patience do you?" Marcel chuckled. "Let an old man talk before he keels over and dies. Anyway, this boy, young man I should say, was so talented, that I found that he would soon surpass me in his research. And soon enough," Marcel turned grim, "he did."

"Why is that a bad thing?" Lost asked innocently.

"At first, it was a small theory. He thought he could enhance certain pieces of human tissue to accentuate their uses." Marcel sighed. "At first, it was all just a theory. But one that showed promise."

"What happened to this theory?" Ren asked.

"Well…" Marcel shook his head and looked at his wizen, old hands. "Let's just say…he got out of control."

"_Professor Telus!" _

"_What is it, boy? I'm busy, don't bother me." Marcel sat at a table, looking through a microscope and taking notes._

"_About my theory…"_

"_Son, it's codswallop, absolutely impossible." Marcel shook his hand at his pupil. "You should give up on the darn thing now."_

"_I found a way to do it…"_

_Marcel dropped the microscope glass sheet he was using, and it clattered on the table. "What?"_

"_It would take laser reconstruction…" he said. "And it would be painful, but I found out a way to do it!"_

"_Don't you anything after all these years?" Marcel asked, picking up the glass and cleaning it off. "You can't strut about a discovery until you prove it true. It's not as if you have test subjects for this project. If you want, I can lend you some laboratory mice."_

"_I'm sorry Professor," the pupil shifted his feet. "Mice won't work. I need human subjects."_

"_Hah! I doubt you'll get someone to volunteer!" Marcel laughed. "If it's as painful as you say, no human should be subject to such an experiment."_

_The pupil stood there, staring at his notes and gripping the pages hard. "Such…a waste."_

"And, for many years, he left the subject alone," Marcel sighed. "I never heard of the project again."

"So, how does this boil down to Lost's symbol?"

"Well, first, you asked about the language, didn't you?" Marcel asked. "This next story shall explain it… I'm afraid this is where everything started to turn bad. Seven years later, my pupil and I were still doing research, even though he could hardly be called my pupil anymore. He was an adult now, and we were more of colleagues then teacher and student." Marcel looked grim as he continued the story. "It was that night…that everything happened."

"Uncle! Uncle, there's someone at the door!" A young boy shook Marcel out of bed, and he opened one eye in confusion. When he gained his focus from coming out of sleep, he saw his nephew and young niece, both crying, in front of him.

"_What's wrong?" Marcel asked, urgently getting up. "Who's at the door?"_

"_P-people!" the girl cried, tears rolling down her face. "They-they've got guns!"_

"_Stay in here," Marcel shut the door of his room behind him and leapt down the stairs to where a door was being pounded on. He briskly threw it open to see at least ten or twenty villagers with guns and flashlights outside. "What in the world are you people doing here? Leave at once! This is private property!"_

"_Not until we get an answer!" one of the townspeople remarked._

"_Yes! Professor, explain this!" Someone thrust a packet of papers into Marcel's hands and he looked at the front page. His complexion turned the color of paper, and he looked up. _

"_Where…did you get this?"_

"_We found it in your laboratory!" someone barked. "Good thing that someone went down there to look for your nephew or we would have been completely blind to what was going on!"_

"_How long have you been experimenting on humans?" someone screamed._

"_It's a sin against God!"_

"_It's a vice that cannot go unpunished!"_

"_You and your pupil come from Satan!"_

"_You don't understand!" Marcel tried to explain. "This is simply a theory!"_

"_Then explain the last page!" Someone shrieked, and Marcel flipped frantically to the back of the page and gasped._

"The research…" Ren bit his lip. "From your pupil… What did the last page say?"

"It…it…" Marcel shook his head. "It had…a date that read: "Date of Experiment"."

Ren froze, and Lost whimpered. "He…really wanted to do it."

"I can only assume so…" Marcel shook his head once more, as if not talking to Ren, but his own conscience. "The people were so against it, being so religious. They must have been shocked to see that the scientist who they respected so dearly was in league with someone who wanted to use humans as test subjects. There was one more thing on the paper…" he sighed. "And that is the symbol on your back, young lady."

"The symbol…" Ren furrowed his eyebrows.

"What did you do?" Lost asked.

"There was only one thing I could do…" Marcel sighed. "Run."

_"OPEN THE DOOR!" Marcel had slammed the door shut and locked it, but it was no use, they were already firing their guns to pierce the metal of the door. Marcel backed off as the pounding continued and ran upstairs. He grabbed his niece and nephew without saying a word, leapt out the window and climbed down garden wall._

"_Uncle! Uncle!" His nephew cried. "Where are we going?"_

"_No time!"_

_He ran as fast as he could towards his pupil's house, depositing the children in his car behind the house. "I'll be right back," he assured them, locking the doors, the two children still bawling._

_He kept running until he saw his pupil's house in sight. He jumped onto the front porch and pounded on the door. "OPEN THE DOOR!" he screamed. "OPEN THE DOOR!"_

"_It's no use…" Marcel's face turned white as he turned slowly around to see the townspeople surrounding him, guns drawn, eyes menacing. "We already tried the foul fiend's home, but he and his wife are missing."_

"_No…he's there…" Marcel panted furiously. "He's got to be there!" He turned around to the door and screamed as loud as he could: "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, JEAN PAUL, OPEN THE DOOR!"_

"But he wasn't there…" Marcel shook, as if reliving the experience. "Jean Paul was nowhere to be found. I barely escaped, driving off as fast as I could, my friends and family following me in cars."

"Where did you go?" Lost asked. "No place must have been safe."

"It wasn't," Marcel sighed. "We had to split up. The only way to tell friend from foe was writing a symbol in the dirt." Marcel looked up, his eyes bright. "The symbol on Jean Paul's research.

"Eventually, we came to Japan," Marcel shrugged. "And found that the only way we could keep our ties to each other in such a large, populated country was our language. We called it "Oriental French" because it is a mix of French and Japanese."

"So that's what your niece meant by a "connection"," Ren reasoned. "Since Lost speaks that language, she assumed that Lost was part of your group."

"Yes," Marcel nodded. "But about the painting…"

"You said it was from Jean Paul?" Ren asked.

"Yes," Marcel said grimly. "I received it a few months ago. It is proof…" he shook his head. "It is proof that he finally had found a way to extract his research on a subject."

"So how does that tie to Lost?" Ren asked again, slamming his hands on the table. "She's not part of your group, and I don't know she's connected to this crazy Jean Paul guy!"

"Neither…do I…" Lost bit her lip. "The name…sounds familiar…but…"

"Young lady…" Marcel sighed. "I have an idea…and I'm going to tell you based on hypothesis. It isn't…going to.."

Before Marcel could even finish, a gigantic thundering "BOOM" filled the room, and the walls caved in as fire spread through the entire building. Marcel was hit with a falling piece of plaster and fell to his desk, his head bleeding as fire started to burn around them.

Ren shielded Lost and started to run down the hall. "No!" Lost cried. "Marcel!"

"Lost, we'll die if we stay in there!"

"No! I have to go back!"

"Stop!" Marcel's voice came from the office, and he trudged out as the flames started to burn in the hallway. "Go! Go now! Get away while you still can!"

"No! We can't leave you!" Lost insisted, reaching out to him.

"They're coming!" he told her. "After you! You shouldn't have escaped, but you did, and now they're after you! You must run! Boy!" He addressed Ren. "Keep her safe!"

"I will!"

"Promise me on your life!"

"I promise!"

"Good!" Marcel smiled. "Now go…" Before Lost could go any farther, the ceiling caved in, cutting off Marcel from them in the passageway.

"MARCEL!" Lost cried.

"LOST, RUN!" Ren pulled her away just as another piece of the ceiling fell. "We've got to get out of here!"

"B-but…"

"I swore to him I'd keep you safe!" Ren cried. "And I'm going to do just that!" He gathered her into his arms and started to run. "C'mon Lost, we're getting out of here!"

* * *

"Hyah!" A resounding thud issued through Marcel's office as the left side of the room cracked and fell into a thousand pieces. Standing in front of the hole was the man from before, still dressed in his hat and trenchcoat. He smiled at the bleeding Marcel on the floor, half covered with plaster and stone. The flames flickered around him. "Hmm…seems I'm getting rusty. That wall actually took a bit of effort."

The young man walked through the office, avoiding the flames and walking over to Marcel, who opened one eye. "Who are you…?" he asked.

"Your murderer," the young man smirked. "Good thing that bomb of mine went off. No one would have guessed that I put it on that chair."

"Are you here to end an old man's life?" Marcel asked. "That's nothing to brag about."

"Impudent old codger I see," the man smirked, gritting his teeth. "Actually, you're not my target. You're just an extra. I'm here for a certain flower."

"I knew that young lady was tied to you people…" Marcel panted, sweat trickling down his brow. "Stay away from her…please, I beg you."

"Don't ask for favors when you're about to be broiled," the man cackled evilly. "We've never met, but I know you quite well. _He's_ told me about you."

"I see…so Jean Paul has others working for him. Either that or…" Marcel's eyes widened. "You can't be…"

"Your memory serves you well, old man," the man smirked, his white teeth showing. "But I have no time to chat. I have to go flower picking."

"Your mother…does not approve."

The man looked at Marcel, and for the first time, gritted his teeth in anger and frustration. "Die."

* * *

A cliff hanger! Will Lost and Ren escape the restaurant in time? Who is this strange young man? Lost's connection to the crazy young scientist Jean Paul? Stay tuned and find out, cause it's only getting hairier from here!

Another note, if you have a theory about Lost's past, PLEASE don't put it in a review and screw it up for everyone else. Just say something like, "I think I know what's going on!" or "I'm almost positive I have Lost's past linked together." See? Dat simple. Just don't ruin it for those who are still hypothesizing.

Next Chapter: Escape


	8. Escape

Already Chapter 8 of "A Lost Soul" and I am PUMPED! I don't know about the rest of you, but I am more then ready to get on with this plot line and really get the story moving! I bet YOU'RE all waiting for the kissy lovey-dovey scene, right? Well…you'll have to wait just a WIDDLE bit more, cause this chapter is full of action and suspense!

A Lost Soul Chapter 8 – Escape - A Fist of Steel

* * *

"Lost, we've got to get out of here!" Ren called to Lost, guiding her through the burning restaurant. Already, people were screaming, knocking over tables, and evacuating as fast as they could. Waiters and waitresses helped customers out the door, frantically screaming if anyone was left inside.

"B-but Marcel!" Lost called after Ren.

"I'm sure he got out fine!" Ren assured her. "He told me to look after you! I'm not going to break my promise!"

"You two!" A waiter called and the two looked up. "Evacuate as quickly as possible!" He too ran off in the direction of the doors.

"We're hurrying!" Ren snapped to the already running waiter, pulling Lost through as the hall collapsed. She screamed and he pulled her into his arms. "It's going to be okay! C'mon, we've got to get out of here!"

Fire alarms sounded outside and Ren looked up hopefully. "See Lost? People are coming to put out the fire and find Marcel, it's going to be okay."

"They won't find Marcel."

Ren's eyes narrowed as his head snapped up to see none other then the young man in the trench coat and fedora standing in the hot blazes of fire. "Who are you?" Ren snarled and Lost looked up to see the young man. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to have a bite to eat, what else?" the man said, but the next thing he knew, Ren had him by the collar and was holding his face close to his own.

"Tell me now. I don't have patience."

"Neither do I," the man shrugged, snapping Ren's wrist away. "I'm afraid that I have to depart as well." He smiled, tipped his hat to Lost, and brought his face up to reveal an alarming grin. "But don't worry…I'll see you again very soon, little flower." He smiled once more and whispered, "Au revoir." With that, he leapt over a large burning table and disappeared from sight.

"Come back here, you!" Ren screamed, but the young man was gone. "He knows something…"

"Ren!" Lost screamed as another beam from the ceiling fell. Ren picked up Lost and jumped through the blazing fire until he could see the exit.

"C'mon!" he jumped through, ignoring the fire department carrying their heavy hoses, and ran straight down the sidewalk, leaving the scene of the burning restaurant.

"Ren!" Lost cried, "where are we going?"

"As far away from that guy as we can!" Ren snapped. "We have to get home to Bason! Once I have him and my Kwan Dao, we'll be safe from that lunatic! Don't worry, if he comes after us, I'll just kill him with my bare hands."

"R-Ren…" Lost cried into his chest. "I'm scared."

"I'll keep you safe, I promise."

"R-Ren, I need to rest," Lost said to him. "My chest hurts."

"You probably inhaled too much smoke," Ren cursed. "C'mon, I'll take you someplace where we can rest for a few minutes."

Ren kept running, Lost in his arms, until he finally saw the small junkyard that he had met Lost at only three days before. "Here, this place is as good as any," Ren snapped, sitting Lost down. "I'll stand guard."

"Ren…" Lost panted, her breath ragged. "You…you're bleeding."

Ren stared at his shirt sleeve to see a small gash in his lower arm. "Ow…you're right." He tore off a small portion of his sleeve and wrapped it around the wound. "It must have happened when all that plaster was falling."

"Here, I'll do it…"

Ren blushed as he felt Lost's soft hand gently touch his lower arm where the wound was. Her soft fingers lingered over the wound, gently unraveling the bandage Ren had made. "You need to tie it tighter…" she told him, tying it again.

Ren felt his skin prickle as Lost touched it. His stomach did back-flips and his mind rattled in his brain. Lost was making him completely lose his focus. What was going on with his body? He didn't understand.

"There," Lost nodded as she finished tying the bandage. "That should do until we get home." She gave a hard cough and sat down. "I-I still don't feel well."

"Keep sitting here," Ren told her. "Man…I wish I had brought my collapsible Kwan Dao. It may be weak, but it's better then nothing."

"Who was that guy?" Lost asked Ren. "The one in the restaurant. He seemed like he knew me…"

"You probably know him," Ren told her. "But you can't remember him, most likely."

"If he did know me, I wish he would've called me by my name," Lost murmured. "Then you could call me another name…"

"There's nothing wrong with your name now!" Ren snapped and Lost looked up. "Dammit! I don't know why you're so obsessed with finding stuff out!"

"I-if I did…I could leave…"

Ren's eyes widened as he felt a sting in his chest. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"I wouldn't be a bother to you anymore…" Lost told him, chewing the inside of her mouth. "You hate me, right?"

"I never said that!"

Ren had said it so loudly and so quickly that he only realized what he had said after he said it. Lost's eyes were wide and his face was red. "I…I don't hate you."

"R-really?" Lost asked and she smiled widely. "Does that mean you love me?"

"I never said that either!" Ren snapped.

"Oh, okay…" Lost chewed the inside of her mouth. "R-Ren, I think I can go on now."

"Good, let's get home." Ren bent down to help her up, but Lost did not take his hand. "Hey, I'm offering you a hand! You could at least take it you stupid girl!"

"Look…" Lost brushed away some fine dirt to reveal a shining silver chain with a small jewel attached to it. "It's something shiny…"

"Let me see it," Ren bent down and picked the chain up. It was a necklace with a clear jewel on the end of the silver chain. "It's a necklace, someone probably dropped it."

"Can I see it?" Lost asked, outstretching her hand.

"Promise you won't eat it or something?" Ren asked and Lost pouted, nodding. He put it gently into her hand and Lost raised it close to her face, looking at her reflection.

"Lost!" Ren shouted as Lost's body fell to the ground, her pupils completely gone. She had fainted. "LOST! LOST ANSWER ME! LOST!" He started to shake her. "LOST!"

'_That's a handsome necklace you have on, Giselle."_

"_Did _he_ get it for you?"_

"_Perhaps as an engagement present?"_

"_En-engagement?" a woman's voice asked. Her voice was soft, clear, and beautiful. "No… I don't think so."_

"_Give him more credit then that! I'm sure he's truly in love with you."_

"_I'm only sixteen… We're just good friends, that's all. And…the necklace isn't from him, anyway."_

"_Then who bought it for you?"  
_

"_I bought it myself."_

"_For who?"_

"_Well…"_

"R-Ren?" Lost blinked, revealing her pupils. "Ren…is that you?"

"You're alive?" Ren breathed a sigh of relief. "You stupid girl! I thought you were dead or something!"

"Ren…this necklace…when I touched it, I remembered something," Lost told him. "A woman…named Giselle. She's the owner of this necklace."

"So what, leave it here, maybe she'll come back and get it," Ren snapped. "Let's go."

"I want to take it," Lost told him, clutching it in her palm. "I…something tells me that this Giselle woman and I have some sort of connection."

"Right you are! You are a smart little flower!"

Ren's head snapped up to see none other then the man with the fedora and trenchcoat standing on the edge of the fence. "You!" shouted Ren. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm flower picking! Can't a guy even do that without getting badgered by a short guy with pointy hair?"

"Lost, stay back," Ren commanded, putting up his hands. "I warn you, if you attack, I can't guarantee your safety. Then again…" he barred his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "If you just stay in my line of vision I can't guarantee your safety either. You're pissing me off, leave!"

"Ooo, I'm shaking in my boots!" The young man teased, jumping off the fence. "You're unarmed. Where's your spear?"

Ren's face didn't flinch, but inside he was growing slightly worried. 'I've never seen this guy before. Who the hell is he?'

"But you are proficient in Kung Fu, so maybe I should watch myself," the man shrugged and Ren's eyebrow twitched. The man struck a fighting pose, his fists in front of him, and motioned Ren forward. "What? You scared?"

"HYAH!" Ren rushed forward, his leg ready to make contact with the man's face.

"Too slow!" The man called, disappearing before Ren's eyes and appearing behind him. But Ren was ready, dropping on one knee and giving a sliding kick that the man just barely jumped over.

"Die!" Ren jumped up from his spot on the ground, his fist making straight contact with the man's chin, sending him into the air and eventually onto the hard ground. "Don't mess with me," Ren snarled. "Or I assure you I WILL kill you."

The man did not stir. "I probably broke your jaw," Ren smirked, walking up to the man. "You should drink more milk. You must have weak bones."

"Weak bones? Me? Don't make me laugh."

The next thing Ren knew, he was in a pile of boxes due to a lightning fast punch from the man's right hand. The man had obviously recovered from the punch from Ren and was back on his feet, a bit of dirt smudged on his chin.

"Was that punch supposed to hurt?" the man asked. "You really are pathetic."

Ren winced as he tried to get up. "Damn…did he break one of my ribs?"

"REN!" Lost rushed to his side. "Ren, are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine!" Ren pushed her away, getting up, striking another fighting pose. "He just caught me off guard, that's all. A lucky shot."

"Please, I don't work with luck," the man smirked. "It hasn't been too good to me, so I make my own."

"Enough meaningless talk!" Ren commanded. "You die here!"

"Tough words for a guy who's about to be bleeding on the ground!" the man retorted, raising his fist. "You can't beat me!"

"HYAH!" Ren launched a fury of lightning fast punches on the young man dodging every punch. "KYAH!" Ren kicked upwards, then gasped as the man caught his leg and through him down.

"Ren, oh no!" Lost ran over to him.

"Lost, stay back!" Ren choked. "This guy is after you! Run away! I'll keep him busy!"

"N-no, I can't leave!" Lost cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I'll protect you!"

"Give up now if you value your life," the young man said.

"NEVER!" Ren shot up from the ground with a direct upwards kick, but the man dodged. The only thing that had been hit was his hat, which fell to the ground.

Ren looked up to get a look at the man's face before he grabbed his hat and shoved it on his head again. The man, or now to be revealed, adolescent had navy blue shaggy hair that spiked out at odd places. His eyes were a hazel color and he had high cheekbones and long nose. He shoved his hat back on quickly, as if trying to hide his face. "You…how old are you?" Ren asked.

"None of your business," he told Ren.

"You look around my age," Ren snapped. "Why are you after Lost? Where did you get your skills? Are you a shaman?"

"A what?" he asked. "Look, I'm not here to answer questions. I'm here to take that girl," he motioned to Lost. "Now get out of my way or die."

"Never!" Ren shielded Lost.

"You can't beat me," the man told him, regaining his composure. "You see, my fist," he raised his right fist, which as covered in a fingerless black glove. "Is made of steel. You can't beat steel with flesh and bones."

"You have a metallic hand?" Ren asked. "I'm sure I felt flesh when you punched me. Stop boasting."

"You're not the poetic type are you?" the man shrugged. "Can't really understand metaphors. Anyway, let's go."

"Well, Steel Fist," Ren snarled. "Prepare to meet Hell!" Ren leapt forward, but the man blocked his punch and returned him with one of his own in his stomach. Ren felt his entire stomach flatten and pain flow through him as he was thrown back.

"REN!" Lost ran over to him once more, helping him to his feet. "A-are you okay?"

"L-Lost…run…" Ren commanded. "I'll finish off this guy and come to meet you, okay?"

But Lost wasn't listening. She walked in front of Ren and held her arms straight out, shielding him from the man. Her eyes were defiant, even if they had tears pooling in them. "Lost! You stupid girl, get out of the way!"

"Please! This is enough! Please go!" she pleaded to the man.

"Did you see my face?" the man asked and Lost shook her head.

"You put your hat on too quickly for me to get a good look…why do you ask?"

"You are dumb," the man snarled viciously. He then smirked widely. "I've got an idea. You want me to spare this guy, right?"

"Yes! Please, have mercy!" she asked.

"Then come with me."

"No, Lost don't do it!" Ren called, only to have the man shoot him a look.

"You're in no position to be in this bargain," the man snarled. His face turned pleasant as he faced Lost. "This is between me and the flower here."

"C-come with you?" Lost asked.

"Yep. It's simple. You come willingly and I'll spare this guy here."

Lost looked at Ren whose eyes were pleading her not to accept the man's proposal. "My last punch probably broke two or three of his ribs. He won't be getting up any time soon."

Lost's gaze turned from Ren to the man and she took a deep, shaky sigh. She lowered her arms. "A-all…all right…I'll go with--"

"Who's there?" Lights and sirens went off, filling the abandoned yard with light from police cars. "I see people! Come out with your hands up!"

"Damn, the police," the man cursed. "He said as few witnesses as possible. An entire fleet of police brakes that restriction." He turned to Lost, smiled wickedly, tipped his hat and bowed. "Don't worry, we're far from done. I'll be back for you," he grinned manically and jumped onto the edge of the fence, "my little flower…"

"Whoever is there, come out with your hands up!"

"I'll help you Ren," Lost ran over to him and helped him up. The two walked out, Ren supported on Lost's shoulder. The police gasped as Lost came out. "Who…who are you people?"

"They're the police," Ren rasped. "Probably looking for the arsonist."

"It's just a couple of kids," a policeman said. "Are you okay kid? You looked pretty beat up."

"I'm fine," Ren snapped. "Just fell into some junk. C'mon, let's go." He shrugged off of Lost and started to walk with a little pain back to the house.

"H-hey wait! Did you see a suspicious character going through here any time tonight?" a policeman asked and Ren stopped.

"Nope…didn't see anyone."

"Thank you."

* * *

"Ren, are you okay?" Lost asked as Ren collapsed on the couch the minute they were home.

"I-I'm fine!" Ren snapped. "But you! What were you thinking? Going with that guy! That was probably the stupidest thing you could have done!"

"B-but he would have killed you!" Lost cried. "I couldn't let you die!"

"He might have killed you!" Ren told her. "Don't you care if you die?"

"I would care more if you died!" Lost said, throwing her arms around his neck. "Because I love you, Ren! I love you so much!"

Ren stopped and looked at the girl who was sitting next to him, crying into his neck, her hair and ashen face nuzzled into him. Her tears were wetting his jacket, and her dress was tearing even more. "You…you don't have to worry anymore Lost…" Ren told her, rising her face. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again."

"Wh-why?" Lost asked. "I'm just a bother to you. I can't remember anything, not even my own name. Why do you want to protect me?"

"Because…" Ren stopped, looked into her green eyes, and gulped. In an instant, she was in his arms in a warm embrace, Ren clinging to her for dear life. His fingers dug into her arm, not wanting to let go. His ribs hurt, but the pain was nothing compared to the feeling that was beating inside his chest.

What was this?

He had never felt it before. It was a foreign feeling; and yet he welcomed it. It made him feel warm, happy, and blissfully confused. He wanted to be near Lost, to touch her, to hold her. He never wanted to leave her. He couldn't help himself, he needed to be near her. "Because…" he gasped for breath. He couldn't fight it anymore. He knew the words that were coming to his lips:

"Because I love you."

* * *

O.O ANOTHER cliffy! A confession from Ren! Omigosh! What will happen? Will they get all kissy-mushy (don't count on it, kay?)?

You'll have to tune in next update to find out!

Next Chapter: Words


	9. Words

Here I am again folks with Chapter 9 of "A Lost Soul"! I'm so excited! Ren's fought off the crazy blue-haired guy in the trenchcoat (seriously? Who has blue hair? Pffftt…. Horohoro: …) and confessed his burning feelings for Lost! Things are only going to get hairier, so don't think that we're over yet!

* * *

Chapter 9 – Words

Ren stopped and looked at the girl who was sitting next to him, crying into his neck, her hair and ashen face nuzzled into him. Her tears were wetting his jacket, and her dress was ripping even more. "You…you don't have to worry anymore Lost…" Ren told her, rising her face. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again."

"Wh-why?" Lost asked. "I'm just a bother to you. I can't remember anything, not even my own name. Why do you want to protect me?"

"Because…" Ren stopped, looked into her green eyes, and gulped. In an instant, she was in his arms in a warm embrace, Ren clinging to her for dear life. His fingers dug into her arm, not wanting to let go. His ribs hurt, but the pain was nothing compared to the feeling that was beating inside his chest.

What was this?

He had never felt it before. It was a foreign feeling; and yet he welcomed it. It made him feel warm, happy, and blissfully confused. He wanted to be near Lost, to touch her, to hold her. He never wanted to leave her. He couldn't help himself, he needed to be near her. "Because…" he gasped for breath. He couldn't fight it anymore. He knew the words that were coming to his lips:

"Because I love you."

* * *

"Wha…what?" Lost asked, her eyes wide, her lips pale as Ren embraced her. "What did you say?"

"I..." Ren blinked, as if he had just realized where he was. He flew out of the embrace he was giving Lost, a crimson blush on his face. "N-nothing!"

"You said you loved me…" she murmured. "Is…did you mean it? Do you…do you love me?"

Ren didn't know how to answer.

"Do you?" Lost asked desperately and her fingers grabbed Ren's jacket. Tears were filling her eyes.

Ren couldn't fight it…he had said it…and it was true. "Y-yes…I love you. I tried to fight it…but I can't… I love you Lost, and I'll never let anyone hurt you."

"Oh Ren!" Lost sobbed, throwing herself into his chest and crying. "Oh Ren!"

"What in the world are you crying for?" Ren snapped. He thought that she would be happy.

"I never knew words could do this…"

"Do what?"

She looked up, and whispered very faintly: "I finally feel…whole."

* * *

"So," Lost and Ren were sitting on the couch together, Lost bandaging Ren's ribs, Ren wincing every now and then from the pain. "Now that we're in love, what happens?" Lost had recovered over her crying and had returned to her bubbly self.

Ren blushed and stuttered. "N-nothing!"

"Nothing?"

"Yes, nothing! Everything continues as normal."

"Oh…" Lost said, looking forlorn. "When do we get to kiss?"

"Never!" Ren said, his face turning scarlet again.

"Do we get to do anything?" Lost asked.

Ren paused, then decided to answer her question. "We get to do lover things."

"What are those?" Lost asked, looking intrigued.

"Umm…stuff. It's too hard to explain." In truth, Ren had just made that answer up to please Lost and make her stop bombarding him with embarrassing questions. He still couldn't believe the predicament he was in.

"Okay!" Lost nodded. "Then let's sleep together!"

"WHAT?" Ren flew to the other side of the couch. "H-how did you…"

"Huh? We slept together last night," Lost said, looking confused.

"Oh…" Ren sighed, relieved. He looked at her, blushed pink and sighed. "If you want to, then whatever."

"Yay!" Lost cheered, throwing her arms around Ren, making him wince.

"R-ribs!"

"Sorry!" Lost backed off. "D-did I hurt you?"

"Yes you idiot, you did!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Lost apologized quickly.

"You must have marshmallows for brains or something!" Ren snapped, rubbing his cracked ribs. Lost giggled at the comment, then put her arms gently around Ren's waist.

"I'm tired…let's go to sleep."

"O-okay…" Ren had to admit, he was worn out from his fight with that guy in the trenchcoat. He still didn't know his identity, but something about his face was familiar. He couldn't quite place it. But still, Ren knew that he would return again.

"And when he does…" Ren whispered seeing Lost fast asleep, still clinging to him. "I'll be ready for him."

* * *

"_EAT IT!" _

_It was the same dream. Lost could tell. She saw the same scene: a young her being thrust over a patch of dirt. Her face was coated brown, a bit of blood line her lip, and a bruise decorated her cheek._

"_EAT MOMMY'S DIRT!"_

_But for the first time, Lost realized who was holding her. His face was still cloudy, but she could clearly make out the figure of a small boy, tall and broad for his age, standing on her back, thrusting her forward and grasping her hair. The boy looked about Lost's age…he couldn't be older then seven or eight._

"_I don't want to!" Lost cried more, only to have her face plunged into the dirt. Lost remembered this part well. "Help!" she screamed._

"_EAT IT! EAT IT NOW!"_

"_STOP IT!" Lost's vision focused and she gazed upwards to see a small boy, also about six or seven, panting and standing in front of the place where the other boy and Lost stood. The small Lost did not look up. _

_The boy had a frail build, completely unlike the first one, and had pale blonde hair. His eyes were a copper hazel color; but, they were shrouded by circular glasses that rested on the edge of his dirty nose. "Stop it, Xavier! You're only hurting her!"_

_A name was added to the boy who was forcing Lost down. Whoever this Xavier was, he was pushing Lost down, and this boy had come to her rescue._

"_Stay out of it, Alphonse!"_

_So the boy who had saved her was named Alphonse. Lost did not recognize him, but the name sparked something in her mind. She tried to remember, but to no avail._

_The two were screaming at each other. Lost couldn't make them out, but she did notice her small form trying to crawl away. But Xavier was quick to step back on Lost's back, making her cry out. "You haven't eaten your fill…eat more of our Mother's dirt!"_

"_NO, STOP!"_

"AHH!" Lost screamed, throwing herself forward again. Ren was next to her, dead asleep, while she sat there, shivering uncontrollably. She grasped her arms as sweat dripped down her forehead. "Oh my gosh…what…what was that?"

"L-Lost?" Ren mumbled, rising from the couch, rubbing his eyes. "What the heck are you doing up? You woke me up too. Go to sleep! I've got training in the morning."

"Ren!" Lost threw her arms around Ren's waist and Ren fell back onto the couch, surprised at the grasping motion. "Oh Ren! I had another dream!"

"What?" Ren's eyes widened, and he shook Lost off of him to look her in the eye. "What happened, tell me."

"It…it was the same as last time…" Lost told him. "The one where someone forced me to eat that dirt…"

"So?" Ren asked, obviously curious for more then a flashback. "Did anything else happen?"

"Yes…" Lost nodded. "The dream…was different…the voices had faces. Or…at least one of them did."

"Which did?"

"The boy who was saving me. His name was…Alphonse…" she searched her memory, then nodded.

"Alphonse?" Ren asked, cocking his head to one side. "Odd name. Did the other one have a name? The one who was pushing you down?"

"Y-yes…" Lost nodded. "Xavier…"

"Another strange name," Ren bit the inside of his mouth. "So…what did they say? Was that it?"

"W-wait…" Lost stopped, and her eyes were wide. "Oh Ren…I just realized!"

"Realized what?"

"That Xavier…Xavier and I must be siblings!"

"What? That makes no sense! Why would your _brother_ force you to eat dirt?"

"I…I remember now," Lost nodded. "He distinctly said "Eat our Mother's dirt…" That must have meant that we share a mother!"

"That's not necessarily true!" Ren interjected, and Lost turned her head to him. "Maybe he has other siblings! Maybe there were others in the dream that you just couldn't see! M-maybe the entire dream is just bull!" He finished forcefully and Lost looked taken aback.

"R-Ren…"

"And…what I'm guessing," Ren continued, lowering his voice. "Was that he was talking to Alphonse, not you, Lost. It was probably some sick fun show that Alphonse didn't appreciate."

"Th-that's possible…" Lost nodded. "But either way. I know this Xavier and Alphonse somehow. That means they would know about my past."

"Right…" Ren nodded, standing up and walking to the window in the room. He stared out it at the black velvet sky. "So if we can find them…"

"I remember what Alphonse looked like," Lost got up, following Ren to the window. He turned to her, interested. "Yeah! I could draw a picture or something!"

"Dumb girl! You said that you were younger in the dream? Obviously, he's older now too. His appearance may have completely changed," Ren snapped, turning away from Lost. "I don't know how you got on without me. You're so dumb."

"But it's worth a try, isn't it?" Lost asked, running forward to Ren. "We could ask people if they've seen him or something…"

"It's not like we can just put his picture all over town with nothing but the name "Alphonse" and a picture to offer…" Ren shook his head sharply. "No, we'll have to wait to see if anything unfolds. With that crazy "flower" guy after you, we have to hope that whatever it is unfolds fast."

"Oh look!" Lost smiled, running to the window and looking out. "It's the sun!" She smiled widely, looking on as dawn approached. "Ren…where does the Sun go at night?"

Ren rolled his eyes. What a dumb question. But then again…

Ren looked back at Lost, and saw her smiling face and her pink cheeks. It was obvious…she was happy right now. Even after the dream, after the attack, after losing her memory, she somehow was able to become happy. It was like Lost didn't care what had happened to her in the past, or what was going to happen in the future. She was happy…being with him, in this moment.

And somehow, that made him happy too.

"I love you Ren!" Lost turned to him and smiled brightly. Ren blushed crimson, and didn't reply.

"I'm going back to sleep!" Ren snapped, returning to the couch. "I need to get enough hours of sleep to get in maximum training tomorrow."

"Okay!" Lost smiled, walking over to the couch and snuggling up close to Ren. Ren's cheeks turned pink, and he found it hard to go to sleep.

"L-Lost…can you get off of me?"

"What? You can't sleep?"

"Actually, no."

"Sleep, cheri," Lost kissed the top of Ren's head gently, then drifted off into a soft sleep. Ren looked at her, put his hand in her air; gave her a small kiss on the forehead, then fell asleep himself.

* * *

_'I guess this is the night for dreams…' _

_Ren was obviously in a dream. His surroundings were completely black, and the void seemed to go on forever, or stop right in front of him. Whatever it was, Ren realized that he had his Kwan Dao in his hand, and his battle clothes on. 'Funny…usually…when I realize I'm dreaming, I wake up.'_

"_You know Ren…"_

_Ren's eyes widened as he heard a familiar voice from behind him. He whipped around to see none other then Yoh Asakura standing behind him, carrying his sword on his belt; the samurai Ghost Amidamaru behind him. "I think that I should actually take this one. He looks itching for some blood, and you need to be kept alive for your wife, right?"_

"_What are you blabbering about?" Ren asked, raising his eyebrow. "Wife? This one? What in hell are you saying, Asakura?"_

"_Man, I don't even know why I'm helping."_

_Ren turned away from Yoh to see none other then that blabbering idiot Horo-Horo, the Ainu that was staying with Yoh, behind him, a frown on his face. "After all, what have you ever done for me, spikey-haired jerk?"_

"_I didn't ask for your help!" Ren snapped. "Idiot."_

_But Horo Horo didn't retaliate, he only disappeared in front of Ren's very eyes to be replaced by the figure in the Fedora. Ren scowled and pulled out his Kwan Dao. _

"_What? You're going to fight me?" The man asked, laughing. "You can't win, and you know it."_

"_Shut up!" Ren snapped, and swiped his Kwan Dao at the man, only to have it go straight through him. "Damn…this is a dream, I forgot."_

"_I'm afraid I'm taking the flower."_

"_No! You won't get Lost!"_

"_I'm afraid I'm taking the flower."_

_The figure repeated itself, and Ren raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"  
_

"_I'm afraid I'm taking the flower."_

"_Another dream effect," Ren grimaced, spinning around as the man before him disappeared once again. "Where are you, you son of a-"_

_He was cut short as none other then the pretty, perky Lost appeared in front of him, dressed in the short white dress he had found her in. She was barefoot, but Ren noticed a new accessory to the outfit._

_She was wearing that necklace that they had found at the Graveyard…_

"_Ren!" Lost laughed, waving to Ren and running forward, although going nowhere. "Ren, there you are!"_

"_Lost…" _

"_Ren, I'm so glad that we-" Lost stopped mid-sentence and stared at Ren with wide eyes. Her expression was scared, and tears started to pool within her wide green spheres. "R-Ren? Ren, what's wrong?"_

"_Nothing's wrong! I'm right here Lost!" Ren shouted, but Lost couldn't hear him._

"_R-Ren…Ren stop!"_

_Ren whipped his head around to see none other then himself staring past his own body straight at Lost. Ren's eyes widened in shock and fear to see that the other him had his Kwan Dao drawn and had it pointed straight at Lost._

"_NO! STOP!" Ren screamed to the other him, then bounded forward, only to have the other him sprint right through him and pierce Lost straight in the chest with his Kwan Dao. _

_Lost coughed blood, and tears flowed down her cheeks. "R-Ren…why?" Then, her body fell limp on the edge of the Kwan Dao. She was dead, and the other him was smiling._

"_NO!" Ren screamed, throwing frantic swipes at the other him. His eyes were becoming watery. What the hell was going on? "NO! STOP IT! BRING HER BACK!" _

"_BRING HER BACK!"_

_A sharp voice echoed in Ren's head, and the next thing he knew, everything went black.

* * *

_

"…leave a message..." A voice said in quick Chinese from a machine in the kitchen. A small ringing sound buzzed, and a voice came over the machine.

"Ren? Ren, where are you? I know you're in the house! You can't possibly be still asleep," Jun's voice reprimanded disapprovingly. "Anyway, I'm calling to tell you that I'll be in China a little longer then expected. I know, I know. I hope that "Lost" isn't giving you too much trouble. Anyway, I'll be back in about five days. I hope you haven't gotten into much trouble. Don't kill anyone while I'm gone, okay? Goodbye."

But Ren wasn't asleep. He was fully awake, sweating on the couch, tears in his eyes, breathing heavily.

* * *

Well that's it! The end of Chapter 9! This was kind of dream sequence chapter here…heh! Now, if you couldn't guess from the Chapter, yes, Yoh and Horo are going to make an appearance in the fic. But not until later, I'm afraid. Probably around Chapter 14 or 15.

So, please review and continue to give your support! Next chapter is going to be GOOD, so don't miss it!


	10. What Does it Feel Like?

Chapter 10

Hey guys! Past ten o' clock here and I've got inspiration to just start writing! No stopping! Heh! I'm going to be plastered in the morning. O.O Anyway.

I'm also here to correct a typo. In Chapter Nine, I said "Necklace they found in the Graveyard" … in case you were confused, they found the necklace in the _junk_yard. Sorry, wrong yard. -.-

Here we are with the tenth chapter of "A Lost Soul"! This one is going to prove to be even greater then the last one I hope! In fact…it's got something you've all been waiting for! What's that you ask? Heh, you'll have to read to find out!

A Lost Soul: What Does It Feel Like?

* * *

"_Hmm…?" Lost breathed deeply, flitting open her eyes. When she gained her sight, she saw that she was sitting on a seashore with the waves coming towards her. "This must be a dream…" Lost murmured._

_It was much nicer then the last one._

"_Giselle!"_

_Lost looked up to see a young boy standing behind her with short brown hair and glasses that were slipping off his nose. His face was dirty and flustered, and he was looking frantically around. "Giselle! Come on out!"_

"_You'll have to find me!"_

_Giselle…that was the owner of the necklace. Lost got up from the seashore and smiled as she saw a movement from behind a slide. "She's behind that metal slide!" Lost told the boy, but he didn't hear her._

_The boy turned towards the metal slide and smiled. "I found you!" He ran towards the slide and slid under it. Lost heard giggling and then, a small girl ran out from under the slide._

_Lost furrowed her brow and she had to contain a gasp. The girl was only around five, maybe six, and had short pale blonde hair, just like Lost. Her eyes were the same green as Lost's as well… It was like Lost in miniature. Was it her? Was her name really Giselle?_

"_All right, I give up!" the girl giggled as the boy continued to chase her. "I give up Jean Paul! Stop chasing me!"_

_Jean Paul? Lost thought to herself… This girl couldn't have been her. Jean Paul was much older then Lost, or so she had understood from Marcel at the restaurant. So…this Giselle only looked like Lost._

"_Giselle!" Jean Paul smiled as he sat down next to the laughing Giselle on the sea shore. "Giselle, is it true you're an angel?"_

_Giselle looked up and smiled. "Me? An angel? No…"_

"_I think you're an angel," Jean Paul smiled a toothy grin, revealing his top left canine to be missing. "All the people at Church say you're the prettiest girl in the entire town! I think so too! I brag to everyone how we're friends. I tell them 'I'm friends with the angel'."_

_Giselle smiled. "I think you're really smart, Jean Paul!" _

"_Me?"_

"_Yeah! You always come up with the best games and hiding spots!" Giselle laughed. "If I'm an angel, you must be a scholar!"_

"_A scholar?"_

"_Yeah! Daddy told me that they're really smart people who go to school a lot!" _

"_Can scholars talk to angels?" Jean Paul asked. Giselle put her hand on Jean Paul's and nodded._

"_Yeah! Of course they can!"_

_Jean Paul gave a wide smile and nodded. "Then I'm a scholar! As long as I can talk to my angel, I'll be anything."

* * *

_

"Mmm…?" Lost batted her eyes open, the sleep that had gathered at the edges of her eyelids holding them close together. She finally opened her eyes and focused her vision to herself once again on the couch, Ren underneath her. "Good morning, Ren!"

Ren did not answer. Lost frowned lightly and looked up. Ren was lying his head against the arm rest and covering his face with his hand. "Ren…?"

"What?" he snapped, looking up. Lost noticed his face was slightly flustered. "What is it? It had better be important."

"I was just wishing you good morning," Lost smiled, nuzzling under Ren's chin, making him blush crimson.

"F-fine!" he snapped, getting up and walking over to the window, staring out of it. "Good morning."

"Let's eat some breakfast!" Lost smiled widely. "I can make something!"

"We're running out of food…" Ren frowned. "And Jun called a bit ago saying that she won't be back for five more days. What in hell is she _doing_ over there? Measuring blades of grass one by one?"

"That doesn't matter!"

Ren felt his face go pink as Lost put her arms around his waist and gave him a hug. She was nuzzling him in the back, and he was growing hotter by the second. "L-Lost!"

"It doesn't matter," Lost murmured again. "As long as I'm with you…the one I love…nothing matters…"

Ren grimaced, then rolled his fingers into fists. _'But…but what if…but what if staying with me costs you your own life?'_

"_NO! STOP!" Ren screamed to the other him, then bounded forward, only to have the other him sprint right through him and pierce Lost straight in the chest with his Kwan Dao. _

_Lost coughed blood, and tears flowed down her cheeks. "R-Ren…why?" Then, her body fell limp on the edge of the Kwan Dao. She was dead, and the other him was smiling._

"Damn."

"What's wrong Ren?" Lost asked. Ren turned around suddenly and threw his arms around her, embracing her tightly, making her eyes widen in surprise. He held her tightly, not wanting to let her go.

"Dammit. Dammit…" he grimaced, gripping her tighter. "Don't go, dammit!"

"I…I'm not going…" Lost smiled, hugging Ren softly. "I'll stay right here with you."

"I'll never hurt you…" Ren promised more to himself then to Lost. "Never…never! I swear it on my life!"

"I know you won't!" Lost laughed. "Why would you hurt me, silly?"

Ren didn't know how to respond. He merely closed his eyes and embraced Lost a little longer, feeling her body resting safely in his arms.

* * *

"So…you failed to abduct our flower?"

"Yes, I apologize. The police arrived, and I thought it better to retreat for the time being as not to arouse suspicion."

"I see."

A crash was heard and the young man in the fedora shivered as a wine glass shattered on the floor. Pieces of glass flew everywhere. "Heh. Lost my grip I guess."

"I shall be sure to get her next time," the young man assured the person he was speaking to. "Don't worry. That boy that's guarding her is no match for me."

"And you let him live?" A sharp female voice asked from the back of the room. The man in the fedora turned around, a scowl on his face. "You really are off the ball."

"I didn't ask your opinion, Amelie!" The man snapped.

"You really should have just killed him," Amelie said matter-of-factly. "That way the flower would be ours."

"Oh yeah, and how would the police react with a dead body in a junkyard?"

"You should've killed the police too…"

"That's just like you," the man spat. "Always overestimating your abilities. You're all talk and no action, Amelie."

"Excuse me?" Amelie ignored the young man's insult and turned her conversation to the other man in the room. The man did not turn around, but answered with a small grunt. "Would you like me to secure the flower?"

"No."

"I'm sure I could do it better then someone I know…" Amelie's voice was full of mocking, and the man in the fedora blushed crimson and gritted his teeth in anger.

"We don't want to send our entire force after one flower," the man continued. "Xavier here should be more then enough."

"Sir?" Xavier asked, taking off his hat and putting it on a rack on the side of the room. "Her meddlesome bodyguard mentioned something. A Shaman, or something."

"Shaman?" the man asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice. "Hmm…I've heard of them. But they're just folklore, nothing more then a Native American legend."

"I see…" Xavier nodded. "Well, I'm sure that once we secure the flower, he won't go out of his way to rescue her."

"Why do you assume that?" Amelie asked.

"Because…" Xavier smiled, showing a rack of pearly white teeth. "Next time we meet, I'll leave him for dead."

* * *

"Thanks for the food," Ren grunted, throwing his plate in the sink. "I'm glad you actually ate this time. Stupid."

"Heh, maybe," Lost shrugged, looking at the sink. "I'll clean up the dishes, okay?"

"Another little talent you picked up from the past?" Ren asked, sighing. "Maybe you can fly and you just don't remember."

Lost laughed. "Silly! No one can fly!"

Ren chuckled. "Man Lost, you've got a lot to learn. Then again, so does everyone else."

"Hmm? Did you say something Ren?"

"No," Ren shook his head, then thought of something in the back of his mind. "Lost. Where did you put that necklace you found last night?"

"It's still in my bag," Lost pointed to the small white bag which still sat in the living room. "I should probably change out of this dress…" She fingered at the white material which was muddy, soaked, and ripped beyond repair. Jun was going to kill him…

"Feel free to use Jun's closet," Ren sighed. "I'm going to go train."

"Back to that again?" Lost asked, pouting.

"I've already lost valuable time from all this crud we've been through," Ren snarled. "You've got a heavy weight attached to your leg, you know?"

"Hmm? No I don't. My leg's just fine."

"Idiot."

* * *

"Asakura…Ainu-idiot…that crazy blue-haired guy…then myself…" Ren talked to himself as he lifted the heavy weights. "What did it mean? Both Asakura and the idiot were babbling things I couldn't comprehend."

Ren sighed, defeated, and put down the weights. "This is ridiculous. Snap out of it Tao! It was a stupid dream!"

"Ren?" Lost peeked her head inside the room and Ren looked up to face her.

"What?"

"I finished the dishes…"

"Thanks," he grunted, then returned to his weights, intentionally picking up five more pounds then normal.

"What should I do now?"

"Go watch that stupid box you love so much," Ren shrugged. "I'm busy."

"Okay," Lost nodded, then sprinted out of the room to the couch.

"What an idiot…" Ren shook his head and continued to lift the heavy weights.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Lost hadn't bothered Ren for almost an hour. The TV could be heard humming in the background, but Ren paid it no mind as he containing to lift weights and stretch.

But…it _was_ beginning to irk him how Lost remained so…so…

Quiet.

He paused, then looked out the door frame that led to the weight room. "Lost?" he asked, his eyebrow raising. "Are you there, Lost?"

There was no answer. Ren frowned. She couldn't actually be ignoring him, could she? Was she mad that he had decided to spend the morning training instead of watching that infernal contraption with her?

But now that he thought of it…Lost had never been angry at him before. In fact, he'd never seen Lost angry. Was she…really…

"Lost, why are you mad at me?" Ren interjected, throwing himself into the room where Lost was watching TV almost religiously. "I demand to know! You're being impractical to think that I'd spend every waking minute of my life with you. We both need space, and I need time to train! So the fact that you're now ignoring me is completely ridiculous!"

There was a pause as he waited for Lost's response. None came. He grew more irked. She was just sitting there, watching the TV, her eyes wide and glazed over, as if hypnotized.

"Lost!"

"Huh?" Her head snapped and she looked towards Ren. "Oh…hi Ren! What's up?"

"Were you even listening?" Ren asked, massaging his temples. "Are you so stupid that you got completely sucked into the television?"

"I was watching the Season Premiere Rerun of _Bound Hearts_!" She told him, motioning to the television. Ren glanced at the screen to see the gushy teenage romance program on the screen. He sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "It's really good!"

"It's just a stupid television show. Nothing in it is real."

"That's not true!" Lost shook her head. "The people in it are in love, and love is real!"

"Please," Ren scoffed as the program continued to play. "And what is a 'Season Premiere' anyway?"

"It's when the new season comes out," Lost told him, raising an eyebrow. "Duh!"

Ren blinked as Lost looked at him as if to say "everyone knows that". It was odd. Lost, who knew nothing, was talking to Ren as if he was inferior in knowledge. At first, it angered him, but, after a moment passed, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, then how about you be the expert on television, and I'll be the expert on everything else?"

"Sounds good!" Lost grinned. "Hey Ren…?"

"What?"

"What are those people doing on the screen?" she asked, pointing to the television screen. Ren looked at it to see two teenagers kissing each other furiously. Ren sighed, a pink blush forming on his cheeks.

"They're kissing. I told you about that before."

"Oh…" Lost smiled warmly at the television. "So they must be in love right?"

"Not necessarily," Ren told her, sitting down on a chair next to a small table in the room. "People can kiss when they're not in love. Humans are fickle."

"Oh…" Lost murmured, looking forlorn. "So…even if we kiss…it doesn't mean anything?"

"That's right."

Lost's eyes grew foggy and she drew her knees to her chest. "Oh."

She fell silent and Ren frowned as he looked at Lost. She looked sincerely disappointed. But at what? Ren was at a loss. "What's wrong with _you_?"

"N-nothing…"

"You're lying."

"N-n-no I'm not…" Lost muttered.

"All right," Ren frowned. "You're not lying. I'm going to go back and train." He stood up and started to walk back to the weight room, only to have Lost speak up.

"I-I was lying! Don't go!"

"Never would have guessed," said Ren sarcastically, stepping back into the room. "What's bothering you already? Women are so odd sometimes."

"Ren…?" Lost asked softly and Ren looked up. "What does it feel like to be kissed?"

A crimson blush flew across Ren's face, making him cough slightly from the sudden overheating and rush of blood to his face. "I…I wouldn't know."

"C-could…" Lost paused and she turned red. "Could you kiss me?"

A gigantic rush hit Ren like a sixteen-wheeler. Lost was asking him to kiss her! Him…kiss her… Kissing…her…his mind was spinning. His brain was fuzzy. He had images in his head; he and Lost together, kissing, loving each other. He immediately wiped them from his mind and turned to her. "Absolutely not."

"Why not?" Lost asked, looking slightly hurt.

"I'm not the kissing type," said Ren truthfully.

"Could you make an exception?" she pleaded with him. "Just once?"

"Lost…"

"What if…" she smiled, as if realizing something. "What if_ I_ kissed _you_? Would that make it okay?"

"Please!" Ren shouted, rising to his feet. It was strange, but he had felt a sudden surge of anger go through him and his golden eyes flashed. He stared at Lost and took a step forward. "Like I need _you_ to kiss _me_!"

"Does…" Lost looked hopeful. "Does that mean?"

"Come here."

Lost looked at him, her green eyes shining. She stood up slowly and stumbled over to Ren, standing in front of him. They were looking each other in the eye; gold meeting green. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever, until Ren slowly put his hand on Lost's shoulders and stared at her.

"Ready?" he asked and she nodded. He looked at her, annoyed. "Close your eyes. It's rude to stare."

She did as she was told and closed her eyes. Her lips were open and she was waiting for Ren to kiss her. He gave a small gulp, regretting his decision.

But still…when he looked at Lost's pink lips…he…

He decided to get it over with. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and plunged in.

His lips met hers within a moment. He could feel her wet lips on his, and the kiss tasted slightly sweet and slightly gooey. He pulled away quickly and the two opened their eyes.

"Ren I…"

But there was no time to talk. Ren plunged again, this time adding more force to his second kiss. This one was more graceful, unlike the first. He made sure to cover her entire mouth with his. The two moved around each other's mouths until they finally broke apart from one another.

This was their first kiss. "I love you…" Ren murmured, embracing Lost close to him. It was the second time he had said it, but somehow, this one seemed more real. He didn't have to force himself to say it, or feel ashamed when he did. There was something about the mood of the air that made him want to express his deep feelings for her.

"Ren…" Lost murmured, but Ren made a small noise to quiet her. His lips met hers again, and she didn't deny him as he took complete control of her mouth. Once they broke, he kissed her neck and bit her skin lightly.

Lost found herself being led over to the couch. The TV program was still playing, but neither of them were paying it any attention. Ren grasped Lost's waist and held her close to him, holding her for dear life. Lost embraced Ren around the neck, and the two kissed again and again…

* * *

"I'm tired…" Lost spoke, nuzzling her nose into Ren's neck as the two sat on the couch a few minutes later. "That wore me out."

"Now you know," Ren said gruffly, the mood now broken. "That's what a kiss feels like."

"But you said…that people didn't have to be in love to kiss…" Lost said, her eyes going slightly dull.

"B-but…" Ren bit his lip and gave a huge sigh. "You just don't get it do you?"

"Get what?" Lost asked.

"Just because I don't _have_ to be in love with you doesn't mean I'm not," Ren snapped, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. "You really are stupid, sometimes."

Lost looked after Ren and then smiled. "I love you too Ren!" She called after him, and he grunted to show that he had heard her. "I hope…that we can 'kiss' again," she smiled warmly at him as he disappeared from view.

* * *

Did you all enjoy it? I hope so :D Lost and Ren kissed! How cute! Anyway, next chapter, we're really diving in! So don't miss "A Lost Soul" next chapter!

Until then,

Ciao for now!


	11. Shopping Trip

Chapter 11 – A Lost Soul

Hey there everyone! How are all my lovely reviewers out there? I'm so glad to be back with the eleventh chapter of "A Lost Soul"! This one is sure to be uberly awesome, or so I hope!

Onwards to the chapter!

Chapter 11 – Shopping Trip

* * *

"…we don't have much for food…" Lost murmured to Ren as he walked into the kitchen to see Lost poking her head into the nearly empty refrigerator. It was the next day, and Lost had woken up earlier then usual to scope out food for breakfast. Ren sighed, and his eyes narrowed.

"It's not my fault we have no food. Why don't you just eat the television?"

"Silly! You can't eat the television! It's too big for your tummy!"

Ren didn't respond as he pushed Lost out of the way to stare into the refrigerator. Truthfully, there were hardly any groceries left. A bit of bread, a few pieces of fruit, and a few bottles of milk. These small portions definitely couldn't last them for the five days until Jun got back…

"I suppose I'll have to go buy something…" Ren snarled. "It's ridiculous. Buying from these peasants."

"You don't like people much, do you Ren?"

Ren turned his head out of the refrigerator to see Lost staring at him, her green eyes shining with curiosity. "What?"

"I said, 'you don't like people--'"

"I heard you the first time; you don't have to repeat yourself, stupid."

"…Well…then why don't you like people?" she asked. "Did they do something mean to you?"

Ren's eyes narrowed; he pulled out a bottle of milk and screwed off the cap. As he poured himself a bit of milk into an already used glass, he murmured softly. "Yes…"

"They did?" Lost asked, her curiosity now sparked. She walked over to Ren, putting her arms around his neck. "What did they do? Did they step on your feet? Or steal your food?"

Ren shrugged her off and went to the table to sit down. "Lost…humans are inadequate creatures."

"Inadequate?"

"It means they're not good enough…" Ren grunted. "They're not good enough to live on this earth. They're cold hearted, cruel, and self-serving creatures who think only of themselves and their own agenda."

Lost looked at Ren with a slightly hurt expression. "B-but aren't you a human?"

"Yes… But at least I understand my inadequacy. And therefore, I am not as inadequate as those bugs."

"What about me…?" Lost asked. "Am I… 'inadequate'?"

Ren's head turned upwards and his eyes met with Lost's. He was thinking, his brow furrowed. "Yes."

Lost's cheeks started to grow red, and her eyes began to fill with tears. "Don't cry!" Ren snapped. Lost looked up, trying to hold in the tears. "Yes, you are inadequate, simply because you are a human. But…"

Lost looked up, hope in her eyes. "But? But what?"

"But because you do not even understand the evils of humans, you…I mean…you cannot express evils of which you don't understand," Ren murmured. "Therefore, Lost, I believe that you are above most humans simply because of the fact that you don't understand them."

"And that's good, right?" Lost smiled, showing a bright rack of teeth. "That's good?"

Ren smirked, then nodded. "Yes, Lost. That's good."

"Yay!" Lost ran over to Ren and threw herself down in his lap, nuzzling into his neck. Ren didn't push her away, he just sat there, a stoic expression on his face. "I'm so glad!"

Ren sighed, then looked up. "Lost…do you understand what the 'Shaman King' is?"

"Nuh uh," Lost shook her head, still nuzzled into Ren's neck. "I don't. But I know you're training to be in the Shaman Fight."

"The winner of the Shaman Fight becomes the Shaman King; the savior of humanity…" Ren explained, frowning.

"Savior? As in you're going to save humans? I thought they were evil," Lost frowned.

"Yes…but I can still save them." Lost's eyes grew wide as a wide smirk started to spread across Ren's face. "By killing them all. Unleashing an apocalypse. By expunging their evil, I will save them from themselves."

"…Killing?" Lost asked. "You want to kill them to save them? They're all going to die?" She asked.

"Yes. They're all going to die."

Lost looked down at her knees, not particularly sad, but slightly confused. "…Does that mean that I'll die too?"

Ren frowned, then widened his eyes. "I…I…"

"It'll be okay…if I die," Lost smiled up at Ren. "As long as you make me die. It'll be okay then. No one else."

Ren frowned, then slowly placed his arms around Lost's waist and pulled her close to him. "I'll die too… I'll die with you, after everyone is gone. If we die together, then we'll be together forever…I promise you."

Lost's face lit up, and a wide grin spread across her face. "Really? You mean it? Oh! I can't wait! I can't wait until we die!" Lost smiled, then nuzzled Ren's cheek. Ren's eyes narrowed.

Lost…was very different then normal humans. She was kind, not out of example, but out of heart. She didn't understand human evil, for she had forgotten it all. And most of all; she didn't fear death. She actually welcomed it, for she did not understand what it completely entailed. To her, death was just a way to be with him forever. She was so different from the humans that he knew…

Maybe…that was why he was in love with her.

"Lost…what is murder…?"

Lost looked up at Ren puzzled. "I…I'm not sure." She paused, then grinned. "But I know what a 'murderer' is!"

"You really are stupid. You know what a murderer is, but you don't know what murder is?" Ren asked, sighing. "Lost, murder is one of the prime human evils. And yet, this human evil is needed to expunge evil itself."

"What's murder?" Lost asked.

"Murder is the killing of another human by another human," Ren told her. "It is considered bad in the world."

"Oh! Well that makes sense," Lost smiled. "Cause a murderer is a bad person who kills someone else."

"…Now how do you know that?" Ren asked. Lost grinned, then looked up at him, her green eyes shining with laughter.

"Because I am one."

Ren's pupils decreased to the size of pins. Sweat was collecting on his furrowed brow, and his mouth had fallen open from shock. "Wh-what?"

Lost paused, then, very slowly, looked down at her pale hands. She was shaking violently, and sweat was falling from her face. Her breathing was unnatural, and she was gasping for air. "I-I… I don't know!" She gasped.

"What don't you know?" Ren asked, grabbing her wrists and making her look him in the eye. "Why are you a murderer?"

"I-I d-d-don't know!" She stuttered. "I-I just remember those words being said to me…over…and over…" she shook out of Ren's grip and grasped her head. "Murderer!" She shrieked to the air. "MURDERER!"

"STOP IT!" Ren screamed, grabbing Lost. She stopped screaming immediately, and her eyes were flowing with tears. "Who was it! Who did you kill?"

Lost stopped, then looked down at her lap, as though thinking. She stopped, then gasped, looking up suddenly. "I remember…who it was…"

"Who did you murder Lost?" Ren asked her, grasping her shoulder. "Who was it?"

She paused, then turned her head to face Ren. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was slightly open. She gulped, wetting her throat as to help her talk, and looked at Ren with those wide green eyes. "…Mother…"

Ren's eyes narrowed. "Mother? Your mother?"

"Yes…I killed her. I murdered her… I remember…" Lost nodded. "That's why she's dead. I killed her. I murdered her."

"Why did you kill her Lost?" Ren asked sharply. "Why did you kill your mother?"

"I…I can't remember…" Lost shook her head. "I can't remember why I killed her… I just remember screams…and pain…and that word… 'murderer', 'murderer'…" She started to shiver, and Ren slowly put his arm around her, pulling her into him.

"…Lost…your mother…must have done something to make you kill her…" Ren murmured.

"B-but…but mothers are supposed to love you, right?" Lost asked, looking up.

"How should you know that?"

"I…I don't know," Lost shrugged. "On the television. All the mothers say they love their daughters and sons…"

"Don't believe everything on that stupid box," Ren grunted. "Yes…humans have said that mothers 'love' their children."

"Then, if my mother loved me…why would I kill her?" Lost asked. "Was it because I wanted her to be happy? Like you and I will be once we're dead?"

"No Lost…I doubt it. You probably killed her because she _didn't_ love you…" Ren narrowed his eyes. "Probably."

"What about Fathers?" Lost asked and Ren turned his head to stare at her. "Are Fathers supposed to love you too?"

Ren frowned darkly, obviously angry. "No, Lost. Fathers are completely different then mothers."

Lost obviously saw how furious Ren was, and she closed her mouth, but Ren continued.

"Fathers will take what they can from you. They have no connection to you. A mother carries her child inside of her. A Father has no such obligation…" Ren stopped, then stared out the window in the next room. "Fathers…do not love their children." He felt his back tingle slightly…

"Funny…I don't remember…my father…" Lost murmured. "Maybe he didn't love me either. Or maybe…I just can't remember him… I can't remember my mother's name."

"Go to sleep…" Ren commanded, and Lost looked up. "You need to clear your head."

Lost got up, and nodded to Ren. "Okay…I'll sleep on the couch."

"Fine…I'm going to go lift more weights," Ren sighed. "I've got a lot to chew."

"No you don't. There's nothing in the refrigerator."

"…I meant my mind. I need to chew the information you just gave me."

"Oh! I get it! Okay!" she smiled. "I'll go to sleep now."

With that, Lost left Ren in the kitchen and settled down on the couch to sleep. Ren watched her go, the gears in his mind turning. "It doesn't make any sense…" Ren murmured. "She's too weak to be an assassin…she isn't a shaman…and she seems to naive to be a killer. …But…" he paused, then shook his head, "I don't doubt her story. Lost…_must_ be a murderer."

* * *

_Lost felt her eyes flutter open. She felt hot sand underneath her fingers, and looked up. She was at the same beach as before; she was having another dream._

"…_I'm too tired," Lost murmured, settling back down. "Let me sleep a little longer."_

"_Jean Paul, why'd you call me out here?"_

_Lost sat up with a jolt to see a girl, aged about seventeen, and a boy, about eighteen. The girl had pale blonde hair that swept around her ears and fell to her mid-back. She also had deep green eyes, much like Lost's. Lost realized that this must have been Giselle, the girl she had seen in the last dream._

_That meant that the man, Jean Paul, was the same little boy in the last dream. He had long brown hair, messy and askew, tied into a loose ponytail at the base of his neck. He had hazel eyes, dark and cold, yet beautiful at the same time._

"_I…I wanted to give you something…" Jean Paul murmured. _

"_What is it?" Giselle asked, smiling at him. "Is it an early Christmas present?"_

"_No…" Jean Paul shook his head and Lost saw his hand tremble as he pulled out a small box from his pocket. Giselle gasped as Jean Paul dropped to one knee and opened the box. Lost was curious, so she ran up and looked over Giselle's shoulder with a bit of difficulty as the woman was taller then her. _

_In the box was a beautiful diamond ring made of white gold. Giselle gently pulled the ring out and examined it. "I-It's beautiful…" she and Lost said at the same time._

"_Giselle Debussy…" Jean Paul murmured. « Je t'aime. » _

"_I love you…" Lost murmured. She then realized that they had been speaking French the entire time. Her mind has simply translated it into Japanese._

"_Will you…be my wife?" he asked her. Giselle's eyes were filling with tears. She nodded slowly, and Jean Paul gave a huge smile. The next thing Lost knew, Jean Paul had thrown his arms around Giselle's waist and was kissing her passionately. Giselle grasped Jean Paul and kissed him back. Lost was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable, watching the two kiss._

_Finally, they came up for air and they both laughed. "How many children should we have?" Giselle asked. "Seven? Eight?"_

"_As many as you want, my dear," Jean Paul said, lifting his fiancée into the air. "As many as you would like!"_

"_The ring matches the necklace," Giselle smiled, fingering her necklace with the finger that now held her ring. _

"_I did it on purpose," Jean Paul smiled. "You said that you bought that necklace for someone very special. So I bought the ring for someone very special."_

"_Did you think I bought the necklace for you?" Giselle asked, smiling. "Because I didn't."_

"_Then who'd you buy it for?" Jean Paul asked. _

_Giselle paused, then smiled. "Our child. I'm going to give this to our child."  
_

"_I love it," Jean Paul smiled, then kissed his fiancée again. Lost smiled at the two of them. They were obviously very happy. Just like her and Ren. "…speaking of children. What are we going to name them?"  
_

"_Hmm…" Giselle smiled. "I do have some names in mind…"

* * *

_

Lost woke up from her sleep to see Ren sitting on a plush chair near the couch, his brow furrowed, deep in thought.

"Ren…?" Lost asked, rubbing her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Ren looked up, then shook his head. "Nothing."

"Are you hungry?"

"…yes."

"I'll make you something to eat!" Lost smiled, then got up.

"Any new dreams?" he asked her as she walked to the kitchen. She nodded and gave a sound in order to establish 'yes'.

"About…Jean Paul and Giselle!" she told him.

"Jean Paul? The crazy scientist?" he asked her, quirking an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"He wasn't always crazy," she told him, searching through the refrigerator. "In the dream, he asked Giselle to marry him."

"Bah," Ren rolled his eyes. "Probably so he could use her as a test subject."

"Don't be so mean Ren!" Lost scolded him, poking her head out of the kitchen. "He seemed to really be in love with her!"

"What would you know?" Ren asked, sighing. "Four days ago, you didn't know what love was!"

"I-I just know!" Lost frowned, blushing. She ducked into the kitchen again, eager to avoid the conversation any longer. "…Ren! There's nothing to eat!"

"Damn…I forgot…we're out of food," Ren sighed. "Lost…I'm going to have to go to the Grocery store."

"No, no!" Lost smiled, jumping into the living room. "Let me go! I want to go!"

"You're joking!" Ren sighed. "You don't even know what a 'grocery store' is!"

"I do too!" Lost pouted. "It's…a…umm…"

"I rest my case," said Ren, rising to his feet and walking to his room. Lost followed him, eagerly trying to convince Ren to let her make the trip. Ren, however, wasn't be very cooperative.

"Please let me go! You can give me directions and I'll go really quick!" Lost pleaded with him. "I really want to go!"

"What about that crazy guy? Fedora?" Ren asked, frowning.

"There are lots of people outside!" Lost assured him. "It'll be fine! PLEASE! Please let me go!"

Ren stared at Lost; sighed, and nodded. He would let Lost go. Lost squealed in excitement, and immediately went to Jun's room to pick out an outfit for the 'auspicious' occasion.

"Okay…I'm writing up directions for you!" Ren shouted to her. "What a pain…" he muttered, shaking his head. "I swear."

"Uhh…Ren!" Lost poked her head out from Jun's room.

"You look fine," said Ren, not giving Lost a glance.

"That's not it," she shook her head. "I can't read Japanese!"

"Can you read Chinese?" he asked, obviously being sarcastic. She shook her head.

"I can only read Oriental French!" she told him. He sighed, annoyed that Lost was making the situation even more difficult.

"I remember you read the name of the restaurant in the phone book…" he reminded her. "But that was in Oriental French, wasn't it?"

"Uh huh!"

"Fine, fine! Get out here and I'll give you verbal directions," Ren sighed. Lost nodded, then ran back into Jun's room. About five minutes later, she walked out in a red long-sleeved dress with a silver dragon snaking up it. "Ready?" Ren asked. Lost nodded vigorously.

"I'm ready!"

"All right, all right," Ren snapped, making Lost be quiet immediately. "First, when to get to the front of the building we're in, take a left. That's this way," he pointed to the left and Lost nodded. "After that, just keeping going straight until you see a big statue of a man with a beard." He was referring to the statue of Lord Okuba that was in place in front of a tall library building. "After that, go right. That's this way," he pointed in the other direction and Lost nodded. "If you go straight after that, then you should make it."

"What does the Grocery Store look like?" Lost asked. Ren grumbled, obviously extremely annoyed.

"It's a white building with large windows and a door," he told her. "You know about food, so here," he passed her a wallet full of yen. "I found this in the kitchen. Buy whatever you want, I don't care. And when the cashier, that's the person in front of a long line of people, asks you for 'yen', give him everything in there. He'll give you back some. Take it and put it back in the wallet," he told her, speaking very slowly, as if Lost were deaf or mentally handicapped. "Then come straight home."

"Right!" Lost nodded. "I'm off!"

Lost smiled to Ren, ran through the kitchen, opened the door, and then slammed it behind her. Ren walked slowly into the kitchen and watched her go.

A moment passed.

"Lost…that's the closet."

"Oh! Oops!" Lost smiled, opening up the closet and running towards the front door. She smiled to Ren again, then opened the correct door and ran out. Ren shook his head.

"I'll give her fifteen minutes…then I'm going after her."

* * *

"Okay! Left!" Lost smiled as she started to head left on the busy sidewalk. So far, so good. Lost was heading in the correct direction and hadn't gotten lost yet! She walked through the sidewalk, taking the sights and waving to people. When she reached an intersection, she noticed that everyone had stopped, so she did as well.

"Why are we stopping?" Lost asked a man near her. He turned to her and quirked an eyebrow.

"When the light up there," he pointed to the horizontal traffic light, "turns red, we can walk. If we don't, the cars will hit us."

"Oh!" Lost nodded. "So it's a game?"

"Not…really."

The light turned red and Lost immediately ran out into the intersection instead of staying on the path. Cars screeched to a halt before she finally reached the other curb and continued to walk. Many people shouted at the young girl for running out in the middle of traffic, but she didn't hear their voices as she continued to walk.

* * *

"Now…a big statue of a man with a beard?" Lost asked, looking around as she continued to walk. "I don't see anything…"

As Lost continued to walk, she looked to her right and gasped. Right next to her in a glass window was a large statue of a man with a beard. He held up two fingers and was smiling at her. "I found it!" she smiled, then turned around to face the right. There was no intersection, and cars were going by, but Lost wasn't about to disobey Ren's directions.

She ran out into the middle of traffic, making many cars slam on their brakes as the young girl sprinted through the street. "Stupid kid!" One driver screamed as Lost turned and continued to walk straight.

Across the street, a small man was sweeping in front of his store of Religious Icons. He looked up at his recent acquisition, a statue of Jesus Christ, and sighed as he watched Lost go. "I should take that statue out of the window…makes people do some _crazy_ things."

* * *

"I found it!" Lost cheered, jumping up and down. In front of her was a large white building with large windows. It was odd, but the Grocery store had five stories and many wooden tables and trees out in front. "What a weird store. Oh well!" Lost shrugged and ran in through the doors.

But, when Lost had made her way into the 'Grocery Store' she had seen no food whatsoever. All she saw were many doors and floor tiles, along with strange boxes full of shoes in front of the rooms.

"Where's the food?" Lost asked, frowning. She turned to see a room labeled 'Geog.'. "Maybe there's food in there." Lost shrugged and walked into the room.

When Lost came in, she noticed many young people, about her age, sitting in chairs with desks in front of them. A woman was at the front of the class, pointing to a large map. Lost blinked as the entire class turned to look at her.

"Can I help you young lady?" the woman asked in a high voice. "Shouldn't you be in third period?"

"I'm…looking for some food," Lost said. The class giggled, and Lost blushed.

"Lunch isn't until next period," the teacher sighed. "And why aren't you even in uniform? Go to the Head Master's Office and get a uniform immediately!"

Lost realized that all the other girls were wearing the same thing, as were the boys. She looked down to see her shimmery dress didn't exactly match. "O-okay…where's the Head Master's Office?"

"Right across the hall," the teacher sighed, shaking her head. "You know that! Don't be smart!"

"Uh! O-okay!" Lost nodded.

"After that, go to your third period class immediately!" the teacher told her. "I'm surprised you haven't already been suspended for not attending class!"

"B-but I don't know where that--"

"Don't argue, young lady! Go to the office, NOW!"

Lost nodded, shaking slightly and then ducked out of the room. The class giggled after her, and Lost shut the door behind her.

* * *

"Umm…I need a 'uniform'…" Lost told the woman in the office across the hall.

"You certainly do," the woman frowned. "Here." The woman ducked beneath her desk and pulled out a plastic bag with a shirt and skirt inside. Lost opened the bag and looked at the uniform. "You can change in that restroom there," the woman pointed to a small room and Lost nodded. She walked inside, staring at the shirt.

When Lost came out, she was dressed in a white shirt and green skirt. Although she looked slightly confused, she walked up to the woman. "Umm…I changed."

"Good," the woman smiled. "Now report to third period."

"Umm…all right!" Lost nodded. No one seemed to understand that Lost didn't even know where third period was. All she wanted was some food…

* * *

She decided to head back to the room she had been in before. She opened the door and made another entrance. The teacher stopped mid-sentence to look at Lost. "Oh…you're back. You're in this class?"

"Umm…I…think so?" Lost said with a questioning tone in her voice.

"Go and sit next to Kyoyama-san," the teacher instructed her, pointing to a girl with short blonde hair. Lost looked over at the girl as she turned to face her. She had cold eyes and pursed lips. Her hair framed her face and she had high cheekbones.

Lost turned away from the girl's stare and sat in the chair next to her. The teacher resumed talking, and Lost frowned. She didn't understand anything the woman was talking about. "Excuse me…?" she whispered to Kyoyama. "W-what's… the woman talking about?"

"You don't go here, do you?" Kyoyama asked and Lost nodded. "…What are you doing here?"

"I-I need to buy some food," she told her. "This is the Grocery Store, right?"

"…you're joking…right?" Kyoyama asked, her voice completely flat.

Lost shook her head and Kyoyama glanced at the clock in the front of the room. "Look…lunch is in five minutes. Come with me after that."

"O-okay!" Lost nodded and smiled at Kyoyama. She was glad that someone was going to help her find the food in this Grocery Store!

* * *

"Where'd you come from?" Kyoyama asked as the two girls walked through the halls. Kyoyama had a box in her hand decorated with a napkin.

"Umm…don't know," Lost shook her head. "I have amnesia and…"

"Fine, whatever. Don't tell me," Kyoyama shrugged. "Anyway…that's the cafeteria," she pointed into a room where hundreds of kids were all eating food and talking to one another. Lost smiled and walked inside. She gasped as she saw a long line of people in front of a woman.

"That must be the cashier! I'm going to go and get in line!" she told Kyoyama. "Thanks Kyoyama-san!"

"Call me Anna," Anna told her, sighing. "Now get your food."

Lost ran and got in line along with all the other kids. She stared down to see piles and piles of food! This must have been it! "I finally found the grocery store!" She quickly pulled out the wallet Ren had given her and started to grab food and put it on plates.

When she finally got to the end of the line, the cashier gave her an odd look. Lost had gotten every single piece of food that was in front of her, and was now ready with her wallet open. "Umm…that'll be 3,000 yen," she said. (About $30.)

Lost remembered what Ren had told her and poured all the money out in front of the cashier. She looked at Lost with wide eyes. "You're joking me! That's at least 50,000 yen! I don't have that kind of change!" (About $500)

"Huh?" Lost asked. "You won't take it?"

"I'll take it; just take some out!" the cashier told her.

"B-but I don't know how!" Lost pleaded with her.

"Here."

Lost turned her head to see none other then Anna put forward a wad of bills. "That's exactly 3,000 yen. Thanks," she said, picking up the plates and placing them on the tray. Lost collected up her money and placed it back in her wallet. She followed Anna, a grin on her face.

"Thanks so much Anna-san!" Lost smiled. "You really saved me back there!"

"You're clueless…" Anna said. "Anyway, you're trying to find the grocery store?"

"But I already found it!" Lost told her, pointing to the food. "Now I've just got to take it back to Ren!"

Anna paused, then stared at Lost. "Ren? Tao Ren?"

"Uh huh!" Lost nodded. "I live with Ren! Do you know him?"

"…Not…personally," Anna shrugged. "Oh well. This isn't the grocery store."

"But I got all this food!" Lost told Anna. "Doesn't that mean that this is the grocery store? It even had the huge line of people and the cashier!"

"No, this isn't the grocery store," Anna said again. "This is a school cafeteria."

"Huh? It is?" Lost asked, her eyes wide. "I-I must have gotten lost!"

Anna stared at Lost, then shook her head. "Stick with me for the rest of the day. Afterwards, I'll take you to the grocery store."

"S-sorry!" Lost shook her head. "But I have to go back! Ren will worry!"

That gained another stare from Anna, then another sigh. "All right; do as you please." With that, Anna turned around and started to walk away. She stopped, and then turned to Lost. "What's…your name?"

"Oh!" Lost smiled. "Lost! That's my name!"

"Lost, huh?" Anna asked, quirking an eyebrow. "…See you later."

"Goodbye, Anna-chan!" Lost called after her. Soon, Anna was gone in the crowd, and Lost was once again alone. She sighed, looked at the food, and then shook her head. "I guess I just have to retrace my steps…"

With that, leaving the food behind her, she walked off and out of the cafeteria.

* * *

"Dammit, where'd she go?" Ren asked as he waited on a curb for Lost to return. "Did she already get lost?"

"Ren! Hey, Ren, is that you?"

Ren looked up to see none other then Lost running towards him, still in her school uniform. Ren quirked an eyebrow as Lost came up to him. "Hey Ren! What's going on?"

"What are you wearing?" Ren asked, disgusted.

"Oh this?" Lost fingered the skirt. "It's a school uniform."

"I know what it is," Ren spat. "Why are you _wearing_ it?"

"Seems I accidentally went into a school!" Lost giggled and Ren facefaulted. "Oops! Sorry!"

"Stupid girl!" Ren sighed, shaking his head. "Let's head home. I'm not hungry anyway."

"All right!" Lost smiled, nodding. "Let's go home!"

* * *

Soon, night came, and Lost was ready to prove herself that she could this time make it to the Grocery store without getting lost. "Now that you've told me exactly what the statue looks like, I'll be sure to make it this time!"

"No," Ren snapped. "You'll just get lost…again."

"How about you go with me?" Lost asked, smiling. Ren looked up. "Or…at least until we get near the store?"

Ren pondered this, then sighed. "Okay…I'll wait outside while you buy the groceries. We need food anyway."

"Yay!" Lost cheered, jumping up and down. "And this time, I won't get lost! I promise!"

"Damn straight you won't…not while I'm there," Ren muttered, then stood up. "Anyway…we haven't got much time before the sun completely sets. Let's go."

"Right!" Lost nodded. "Let's go, let's go!"

* * *

"Don't take more then twenty minutes," Ren commanded Lost as they stood outside the grocery store. "I'll be timing you."

"Uh huh!" Lost nodded. "I won't take more then twenty minutes! I promise!"

With that, Lost ran into the store, wallet in hand, leaving Ren outside to look at the stars. He still hadn't had much time to think about the recent clues he had been given to Lost's past.

First…there was Jean Paul. Somehow, he was connected to Lost, along with Giselle. There was her strange dream with Xavier and Alphonse. Lost even thought that Xavier might be related to her.

All of Lost's dreams seemed to be puzzle pieces that Ren just couldn't fit together. Little by little, he was collecting pieces, but the picture wasn't becoming any clearer.

It made his mind do back-flips.

"Hah! I told you! I can hold liquor way better then you!"

"Yeah right! Boast while you can!"

Ren looked up to see two women coming out from the liquor store beside him. They were both holding bottles of hard liquor and looked completely drunk. Both had heavy make-up and revealing clothing on. One of them spotted him.

"Hey look! What are you doing up so late, kid?" she asked, emitting a loud hiccup.

"Back off," he warned, narrowing his eyes.

"Awww…he's shy!" the other one said groggily. "Don't be like that, kiddo? Hey…you got a girlfriend?"

"…yes."

"How far have you gone with her?" she asked. "First base? Second?"

"Or all the way?" the other one jeered, and they both laughed drunkenly.

"Get out…if you want to live."

"Grab him!" The woman commanded, and her companion grabbed Ren around the waist. Ren was quick to grab his collapsible Kwan Dao, but before he could attach it together, the other woman had grabbed his head and pushed her lips to his.

"HYAH!" Ren kicked the women off, wiping his mouth off. They were on the street, obviously unconscious due to his Kung Fu. "That'll teach you…" He muttered darkly.

Crack!

Ren turned to his head to see Lost standing in front of him, tears flowing down her cheeks, the plastic bags of groceries on the ground. The eggs were broken and the yolk was spilling out of the bag in her left hand. Lost looked shocked beyond all words.

"L-Lost…" Ren murmured, looking up at her. "What's wrong?"

"Y-you…kissed her…" she muttered, tears still flowing down her cheeks. "You kissed her…you love her too…"

"No, it's not like that!" Ren told her, but Lost didn't listen.

"Y-y-you never said…that you could only love one person…" said Lost. "S-so…why does it hurt so much?" she asked, looking at Ren for an honest answer. "My chest hurts, Ren. It hurts!"

"Lost!" Ren ran over to her and grasped her shoulders. "Lost, get a hold of yourself! I don't love that wench!"

"B-but you…"

"I love _you_ Lost!" he told her. "And only you! Got that, you stupid girl?"

"B-but…you kissed th-that other girl…" Lost cried.

In one sweeping motion, Lost was gathered into Ren's arms and he held her close to his body. "Lost…" he whispered into her ear. "…I…I love you. Just believe me, all right?"

"…I…I know," Lost nodded and cried into Ren's shoulder. "But…but I…"

"Lost…" Ren breathed into her ear, and she immediately stopped crying. He pushed her away from him and looked into her eyes. His golden ones met her crying green and he smirked slightly. "Let's get married."

* * *

The End! I hope you all enjoyed it! Don't forget to leave a review!

Sammy


	12. A Happy Marriage Interrupted

Hey there guys! I'm back with the next installment of "A Lost Soul"! I hope you've all enjoyed the ride so far!

It has come to my attention that a lot of my reviews contained many of the following comments. I'd like to address them now.

A.) OMGZZ! r u ending the fic! No way!

B.) WTF! They're getting married? What the hell does that mean?

C.) Great job! I loved it! Please continue your story!

D.) BWAHA! You used textbook names!

E.) OMG! You're not allowed to respond to reviews anymore!

Responses:

A.) No. I am not ending the story. This next chapter will not be the end, but it will be the beginning of the climax.

B.) Yes and no. They are getting married but they aren't. Please be patient. All shall become clear soon Jedi.

C.) Thank you.

D.) Dear Toca: Shut up, fool.

E.) This is a joke. Consider it a parody.

Anyway! Enough of THAT! We've got a LOT to cover, so let's start the typing, shall we?

* * *

Chapter 12 – A Happy Marriage Interrupted

"Ren…what do you mean 'get married'?" Lost asked, shivering slightly. Ren and she were walking back from the grocery store with new eggs to replace the broken ones and Lost now very confused. "What do you mean?"

"I told you before, stupid," Ren snapped, frowning at her. "Did you already forget?"

"Tell me again," said Lost. "Please?"

"All right," Ren sighed, shaking his head. "Getting married is when you swear to the other person that you love them and that you'll never love anyone else."

"Oh!" Lost nodded. "So…all we have to do is that and we're married?"

"Well…most of the time people have ceremonies," Ren explained.

"Oh! Can we have one of those?" Lost begged.

"No."

"Oh…" Lost murmured. Ren looked at his blonde companion. She was currently looking at the sidewalk, embarrassed for have made the request. Ren rolled his eyes. Lost really was impossible. Sometimes, he just couldn't figure her out. What the hell was there to be embarrassed about?

"Don't act all upset cause we can't have a stupid ceremony," Ren snapped, frowning. Lost nodded, looking up. "That's more like it. Stupid."

"…Th-Then what are we going to do?"

"I'll tell you later," snapped Ren, silencing Lost on the subject. Lost nodded, her blonde hair bobbing up and down. Ren looked up to see their lodging coming into view. "Good. We're finally back."

"Got to sleep," Ren commanded Lost as they got home. "I'll put these in the refrigerator."

"Sleep?" Lost asked. She paused, then batted her eyes and smiled. "But I'm not tired!" Ren sighed. Lost was trying to play with him. Get him to tell her what they would do for their wedding. Lost understood that staying up would help her get under his shell before he forgot about the subject. What Lost didn't understand that was Ren wasn't so easy to crack.

"Yes you are. Sleep."

"Nope!"

"Yes."

"Nope!"

"_Yes…_"

"Nope!"

"Lost, just go to sleep! I'm not going to tell you about the wedding, okay?" snapped Ren, throwing the milk into the refrigerator.

"Wedding?" she asked, standing up and going over to Ren who was leaning in front of the refrigerator. "What's that?"

"It's the event when you get married," he told her, putting in a few pieces of fruit. "Happy? Go to sleep."

"What happens at a 'wedding'?" Lost asked, smiling and sitting down at the kitchen table. "Is it lots and lots of fun?"

"No. It's horrible. Now go to sleep."

"Huh? Then I don't want one!" Lost frowned, shaking her head. "Not if it's horrible!"

"I was being sarcastic," Ren growled, grasping the package of noodles in his hand with a little more force then necessary, cracking a few of the hard noodles. "Will you just go to sleep already?"

"Jean-Paul asked Giselle to marry him!" Lost reminded herself. "And she seemed really happy! Will we be like them?"

"No. I'm not a crazy scientist, remember?" Ren snapped, throwing the plastic bags into the trash.

"Jean-Paul isn't crazy!" Lost insisted, frowning. "He seems really nice in all my dreams!"

"He wanted to perform experiments on humans," Ren grimaced. "Reminds me of a certain person I know. Killing, murder is one thing…but using humans as guinea pigs is just disgusting."

"Why Ren?" Lost asked.

Ren looked over at Lost and sighed, trying to find a way to express his logic. "I told you before that humans are inadequate creatures, right?"

"Uh huh!" Lost nodded.

"Well…it seems to me that an inadequate creature should have no power over another inadequate creature." Ren took the last carton of milk and lodged it into the fridge. "To me…it seems like empty boasting. I hate those who boast empty pride."

"I guess that makes sense," Lost shrugged.

"You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?" Ren asked, sighing. Lost shook her head and Ren closed the door of the refrigerator. "Go to sleep already."

"Okay…" Lost pouted, walking over to the couch and lying down under the blanket that had lived there for the past few days. "Good night Ren."

"Night," Ren said gruffly, walking past the couch.

"I love you," Lost called after him. Ren blushed.

"I-I love you too," he muttered softly, walking swiftly into his own room and slamming the door behind him. "I need some sleep," he muttered, doing his best to lower the crimson blush on his face.

* * *

"_Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"_

_Lost was in another dream, or so she guessed. She had gotten used to these sequences after awhile, and knew she had to pay attention to learn anything. Her head turned, and she saw she was in a rather dismal garden. It had a few unkempt bushes, and the grass had grown so tall it was past her shins. A few gray, sad trees could be seen in the distance._

"_Hah! You're so funny, Genevieve!" Lost realized a small girl was speaking. She recognized the voice as her own! She walked over to see a small Lost, around three years old, in the grass with another three year old girl. _

_This girl, obviously Genevieve, had longish light brown colored hair with golden highlights. She was smiling at Lost, and Lost noticed that Genvieve was missing a few of her baby teeth. _

"_Thanks for coming to play!" Genevieve grinned. Lost smiled. This must have been a friend of hers from when she was young._

"_Genevieve!" A deep masculine voice called to Genevieve from the door. Lost looked over, but she could only see the silhouette of a man. She squinted, but nothing cam into view. "Genevieve, stop playing and come inside!"_

"_Coming, Daddy!" Genevieve smiled and got up, brushing off her dress. The small Lost looked hurt, as if Genevieve had left her. Genevieve turned around and smiled at Lost, and Lost immediately returned the smile with a grin of her own. _

"_Genevieve! I said come here!" The man's voice barked. _

"_What for Daddy?" Genevieve asked._

"_I have something to show you," the man told her, leading her gently into the house. "Something important."

* * *

_

"_HYAH!"_

"_ARRGH!"_

_Lost was transported to another time. Once again, she saw herself, now aged around ten years old, and she saw Genevieve as well. Her hair was still very long, almost to her mid back, and her eyes were still the same hazel color as before. _

_But…what Lost did notice about Genevieve was that her eyes were much darker then before. Almost angry. _

_Lost glanced at herself to see that she was bleeding and battered. She looked at Genevieve to see her coming at the girl. Genevieve smirked and then gave Lost a sharp kick in the ribs, making Lost gag blood._

"_Genevieve! Stop!" Lost cried, tears falling down her face._

"_That'll teach you to come to my place without permission," Genevieve growled. "What the hell are you doing here?"  
_

"_I-I…I just came to…" Lost muttered, only to have Genevieve kick her again. The older Lost looked away, pitying herself. What in the world had caused Genevieve to become so vindictive towards Lost? "Genevieve!"_

"_GET OUT!" Genevieve screamed, kicking Lost constantly. Her kicks became harder and swifter as her anger rose. "GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!"_

"_ARRGH!"_

"_Just die!" Genevieve grinned evilly. "DIE!" Lost felt tears coming to her eyes. The other her looked so in pain, so distressed. What in the world had forced Genevieve and she to become such enemies? _

"_What's going on?" Lost screamed to the two girls. "What made this happen to you?"_

_Genevieve ignored Lost. She continued to kick at the other Lost, the vindictive grin still plastered on her face. "Just stop…" Lost cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Just stop! PLEASE, JUST STOP!" Lost bound forward and tried to grab Genevieve, only to fall to the ground…

* * *

_

"No!" Lost screamed, springing up from her spot on the couch. Cold sweat mixed with the tears that were falling down her face. She was shaking uncontrollably, and her ribs hurt ever so slightly.

"Lost! What the hell happened?" Ren asked, running into the room. He saw Lost and ran over to her. "Another dream?"

"Y-Yeah…" Lost nodded. "This one was really scary! So scary! There was this girl…and she…she and I were…friends and th-then…sh-she was kicking me and-and-and…."

"You're not making any sense!" Ren reprimanded. "Just tell me what happened!"

And so, Lost explained the entire dream to Ren. About how she and Genevieve were playing together when they were younger, and, when they grew up Genevieve hated Lost with such a fury that she wanted to kick and kill her. Ren looked grim throughout the entire explanation.

"Obviously, this Genevieve went off her rocker," Ren shrugged. "Nothing to be upset about. She just went crazy."

"No…" Lost shook her head. "No! It can't be that! She…she really hated me!" Lost looked up, as if a realization had just dawned on her. Her face went blank. "I…I must have…done something to her to make her hate me so much!" She grabbed her hair, trying to remember. "Oh my gosh! What in the world did I do?"

"Nothing!" Ren snapped. "You didn't do anything!"

"But I must have! That's why she hated me! That's why Xavier hated me!" Lost insisted, tears now rolling down her face. "What in the world did I do? Why can't I remember?" she screamed and fell to her knees.

Before Ren could do anything, Lost had smashed her head onto the table in front of her. "Lost!" Ren screamed, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. Her forehead was starting to bleed, but it didn't look too bad. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Oh I can't remember!" Lost cried, tears flowing once again. "I can't remember why everyone hates me! Maybe I'm just a bad person!"

"Will you shut the hell up already?" Ren asked, grasping Lost's wrists. "Just shut the hell up!"

"You don't know Ren!" Lost snapped bitterly. Ren pulled back. It was the first time Lost had ever spoken harshly to him. "You don't know anything!"

"Maybe not!" Ren growled. "But I do know that you treaty me so poorly isn't going to get you anywhere!"

"Y-You're right…" Lost nodded, calming down. "Ren…I'm scared…"

Ren looked at the huddled form of Lost. It was true, Lost had no clues to go on. All she knew was that everyone in these dreams she had hated her. Except for Alphonse perhaps. She could only assume that she had done something to make them angry and spiteful. But Lost seemed so kind and pacific now. It seemed almost impossible that she would have done anything truly evil…

But her crying form made Ren think of only one thing to cheer her up.

"Come here…" he murmured softly into her ear. Lost looked up to see Ren's strong arms encircling her waist and pulling her onto his lap. She dangled her arms around his neck and cried into his chest. Ren didn't stop her. He knew he couldn't. Girls should be allowed to cry when they want. "It's okay…" her murmured, stroking her hair. "It'll be okay…" Ren could hardly believe what he was doing. This act of gentle care was the only thing that would calm Lost down, and yet it was completely unlike him.

"R-Ren…" Lost murmured, her tears finally stopping.

"Lost…we're going to get married right now," Ren told her. Lost looked up, surprised.

"R-really Ren? We can? Right now?" Lost smiled and Ren nodded to her.

"I'll go first," he sighed and looked Lost right in the eyes. He took her hands in his and started to speak. "Lost, I love you. I'll never love anyone else."

Lost looked at Ren with wide, confused eyes. Ren sighed and rolled his own. "Now you say it."

"Ren…" Lost said, trying to repeat her companion. "I love you. I'll never love anyone else."

Ren frowned and looked away. "That's it. We're married."

"YAY!" Lost shouted, grasping Ren around the neck, making him fall over the back of the couch. "Oh! Ooops! Are you okay Ren?"

"Ow! That hurt you stupid girl!" shouted Ren, rubbing his head. "Watch where you're going!"

"What happens now that we're married?" Lost asked, jumping over the couch an hugging Ren again. Ren shrugged her off and frowned.

"Nothing! Everything just continues as normal. Except now you're my wife and I'm your husband," he told her. "Got that?"

"Wait…so I'm your husband?" Lost asked, confused as to what Ren had just said.

"No!" Ren sighed, shaking his head. "At least pay attention! You're my _wife_! Wife! I'm your husband."

"Oh! I get it!" Lost nodded, smiling widely. "What now?"

"Now we go back to sleep," Ren told her. "I'm tired, and your stupid dreams keep making me lose sleep."

"Hey Ren…?" Lost asked as Ren got up, brushing dust off his pants.

"What?"

"Can you sleep with me tonight?" Lost asked. Ren had gotten all too used to this question and sighed, aggravated.

"Whatever," he said. Lost cheered and grabbed Ren's arm, leading him over to the couch. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Goodnight Ren!" Lost cooed as she snuggled up next to him on the couch under the blanket. Ren sighed, all too used to Lost's affections. As she drifted off to sleep, he looked over at her.

Lost was quite an odd creature. The fact she wasn't a true human at heart, the fact that she couldn't remember her past, the fact that she was a murderer for a reason that her mind had chosen to hide from her. There were so many secrets to Lost, and yet she had such a simple mind.

"Lost?" Ren asked. Lost didn't answer. "You asleep?" Again, Lost said nothing. Ren slowly lowered his head onto Lost's and gave a her a soft kiss. "There," he told her as he pulled back. "As far as anyone knows, that never happened."

With that, the Chinese Shaman drifted off to sleep. Bason poked his head out of Ren's room and gave a soft smile. "Goodnight, Master Ren. My lips are sealed."

* * *

"Ren! Time for breakfast!" Ren opened one of his eyes tiredly to see Lost in the kitchen quickly cooking some newly bought eggs. She was wearing a new dress of Jun's: a white one with a pink pattern on it. Lost scooped the eggs onto a plate and put some rice on the side of the plate. Ren got up and walked over to the table as Lost served him the food. "There you go! Eat up!"

"When did you get up?" Ren asked, stuffing a bit of rice in his mouth.

"When the sun rose!" Lost told him, smiling. "I wanted to cook breakfast for my new husband!" She giggled and gave Ren a kiss on the cheek. He did his best to wipe it off, then returned to his breakfast.

"You should have slept in," Ren told her. "You were tired, remember?"

"I'm fine!" Lost told him, smiling widely.

"Anymore dreams?" he asked, drinking the milk that Lost had put next to him.

"No," she shook her head, growing a little less perky. "Nothing. I slept fine for the rest of the night."

"Good," said Ren gruffly. "Just forget about all of them. Xavier, Alphonse, Genevieve. Not worth your time."

"Guess not," Lost smiled, walking over to Ren. She hugged him around the neck, making him blush, and put her head on his shoulder. "I'll be fine Ren…as long as I'm with you. I don't care if I never find out my past."

Ren grimaced. "I guess not. It doesn't matter much, does it?"

"Right!" Lost smiled, running into the Living room and jumping over the couch to land in it. She turned around and smiled at her newly wed husband. "Who needs to know what happened in the past anyway? I've got a really great future ahead of me!"

Ren stood up and walked over to Lost. He put his hand on her head and nodded. "That's right. Looking at the past is pointless and a waste of time. You have to keep going forward if you want to accomplish anything."

Ren paused, then looked out of the window. "Memories…are a waste of time."

"Sorry Monsieur, but I beg to differ."

Ren and Lost froze as they heard a foreign voice call to them from the Kitchen they had just been in. The two turned around to see none other then the man that had invaded their nights and their fears.

It was the man in the fedora.

"Not bad," the man said, smacking his lips. Ren looked down to see the man had been eating the remainder of the food on the plate. "You cook just like you used to at home," he grinned towards Lost.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ren asked, trying to regain his composure. "Get out of here. How did you get in here?"

"No need to be so inhospitable," the man shrugged, grinning evilly. "I just came here to get my flower and leave."

"You mean Lost," Ren snapped. "No way am I letting you get Lost!"

"I've been meaning to ask you," the man frowned. "Why the heck are you calling her 'Lost'? What a stupid name."

"None of your business," Ren snapped. "Now go, before I kill you."

"Our last encounter didn't prove in your favor, did it?" the man smirked. Ren flinched, then grasped Lost's shoulder.

"Lost…go into the room at the far right and grab the Kwan Dao on the pedestal," he whispered to her.

"What about your other one?" Lost asked.

"A collapsible is too weak," he told her. "I'll need my full-fledged weapon."

"Go and get your weapon," the man called to Ren. "The collapsible one is too flimsy for a fight against me." Ren grimaced as Lost ran off towards the room he had directed her to. "If you just handed over the flower, then I would kill you quietly and leave. No need to make a big fuss."

"If you're going to kill me, why are you still dressed up like that?" Ren asked, motioning to the man's fedora and trenchcoat. "After all, you shouldn't be worried about me seeing your face if I'm going to die."

The man paused and grinned. "You have a point, monsieur! This stuff was getting heavy anyway!"

With that, the man quickly shed the coat and discarded the hat. Ren looked to see the same face as he had seen a few nights before. Navy gray hair that was messy and stuck out at odd ends. Hazel eyes that looked dark and angry. High cheekbones and an age around Ren's.

The young man was wearing a pale yellow vest with navy trimming and navy baggy pants with a drawstring across the waist. His chest was bare, and Ren saw that the young man was extremely muscular. He wore black boots and his hands were covered with the same navy fingerless gloves as before. He shook his head and smiled. "Whoo! Good to be out of that get-up!"

"Ren! Your spear thingy!" Lost's voice called as she ran into the room with the Kwan Dao, Bason behind her, ready to integrate with the spear. Lost gave it Ren and he nodded to her.

"Lost, stand back, okay?" he told her. "This might get dangerous." Lost obliged him, running to the back of the room. Ren then turned to Bason. "Bason, are you ready?"

"Yes Master Ren," Bason nodded. "Let me assure to you the death of this man."

"Good to know," Ren frowned. "But he's mine to kill."

"Who the heck are you talking to?" the man asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You gone crazy or something?"

"I wouldn't expect someone like you to be able to see ghosts," Ren spat. "Lost, be careful. The battle's about to begin."

The man looked over at Lost and grinned. "Hey there little flower. Just wait a sec, okay? I'll be taking you back home soon enough."

Lost hid behind a table, afraid of the man.

"Enough!" Ren snapped, pulling out his Kwan Dao and pointing it straight at the man. "Let's go! BASON!" He screamed, raising the Kwan Dao into the air. "INTEGRATE WITH YOUR BLADE!"

Bason wasted no time in rushing into the Kwan Dao and integrating with the blade. The weapon was now at full power, and a radiating energy began to form around Ren and the blade. The young man looked slightly impressed.

"Funny…you powered up your weapon somehow," he told Ren. "But I can do that too!" He held up his right fist and energy started to gather around it. Ren gritted his teeth as the man's fist began to glow.

"I think that before we begin, introductions are in order!" the man told Ren. "I know your name, Tao Ren, but I don't think you're aware of who I am!"

"No!" Ren told the man. "Enlighten me!"

"I'm more then pleased to introduce myself," the man smirked, bowing low. "Xavier Lumiere, at your service!"

Lost gasped and Ren's eyes widened. "Xa-Xavier?" Lost asked, her mouth open wide. "As in…the boy in my dream?"

"Ahh, I see you know of me little flower!" Xavier laughed. "If I were you, I'd be worrying less about me and more about saying goodbye to your dear little beaux here." His expression grew dark. "Cause I'll be taking you away very soon."

"NEVER!"

Ren slashed his Kwan Dao down, only to have the man block the spear with his arm. He pushed Ren back, and Ren quickly countered with another horizontal slice. Xavier ducked and made a sweeping kick at Ren.

Ren jumped into the air and onto the edge of the couch. Using the couch as a vaulting point, he jumped into the air, the Kwan Dao aimed straight down at Xavier.

With impressive footwork, Xavier stepped to the side just as Ren came crashing down, making a large hole in the floor where Xavier once stood. Xavier threw his arm at Ren and punched him across the room.

"Ren!" Lost cried to Ren as he hit the wall. Ren stood up almost immediately and spat out the blood he had coughed up due to the impact.

"I'm fine!" he shouted, rushing forward again. "But this guy's not going to be in a few seconds!"

Ren threw the Kwan Dao in a flurry of successive blows, all of which Xavier dodged with ease.

'_He's so quick!' _thought Lost, doing her best not to cry out. _'Even Ren can't get to him!'_

"Enough fooling around!" Xavier cackled. The next thing Ren knew, he had a knee in his stomach and had been thrown back.

"Ren! Oh no!" Lost shouted.

"Stay where you are, Lost!" Ren commanded, standing up and rubbing his abdomen. "I'm fine! I was just caught off guard!"

"Enough of this…" Xavier yawned, making Ren's temple throb. "You're boring me. I haven't even had to use my trump card in this fight."

Ren smirked, an air of confidence around him. "The same could be said for me."

"Huh?" Xavier looked over at Ren, surprised, then laughed. "Please! You've got no chance! I'm the strongest of the two of us, and the winner in a fight is always the strongest!"

"You'd better say lines like that for when you're the winner!" Ren shouted, rushing forward again with Kwan Dao. "LIAN SLICE!" Ren threw the Kwan Dao around his shoulder, hitting Xavier across the shoulder. Xavier hardly flinched.

"You call that an attack? Please!" Xavier laughed. "That tickled!"

"That wasn't the attack…" Ren whispered, grinning.

"Huh?" Xavier asked.

"Eat this!" Ren jumped into the air and, catching Xavier off guard, captured his neck in his legs and flipped him over onto the ground. Xavier coughed up blood and his eyes widened as the impact hit him. "Hah! Now who's the loser?"

"Fine…" Xavier smirked, getting up. "I underestimated you. It won't happen again."

"You're right," Ren said slowly, bringing his Kwan Dao back. "It won't. Because I'm going to end this fight right now."

'_What does he mean?'_ Lost thought, staring at Ren. _'Is Ren planning to finish off Xavier with the next attack?'_

"So you're going to try to kill me with this next blow?" Xavier asked, laughing. "Please! Just try!"

"You'll be sorry you ever invited me," Ren grimaced, grabbing his Kwan Dao. "Ready, Bason?"

"Yes, Master Ren," Bason nodded.

"Then let's do this!" Ren screamed and rose into the air, golden energy gathering around him. "PREPARE TO DIE!" Ren readied the attack, his golden eyes shining with ferocity. "GOLDEN VORPAL DANCE!"

Xavier's eyes widened as Ren came at him with the powerful attack. For a second, he actually looked frightened. "You'll need more than that," Xavier cried, "to beat me!" With that, he lifted up his right fist to use as a shield!

"Idiot!" Ren called, cackling. "Your hand will be cut clear off your wrist!"

But there was no time to say anything else. Ren's Kwan Dao connected with Xavier's fist and the two powers collided in a way that no one could have ever expected.

"Oh my gosh!" Lost shouted. "H-His hand!"

Ren's Kwan Dao had hit Xavier's fist as if it had hit a five inch thick steel shield. Ren bounced off with such force that he flew into the ceiling and back onto the ground. Xavier, however, looked completely unphased.

"Damn," Xavier muttered, looking at his hand. On further inspection, one could see that the glove he wore was in tatters and a small cut the size of a paper cut was starting to form. "You ruined my favorite pair of gloves. Oh well. I'll make you pay for them with your head."

With that, Xavier stripped the glove off his hand and showed it off to Ren and Lost. Both of their jaws fell open as they saw what was tattooed on that fist.

It was the same mark that was on Lost's back.

"Where did you get that?" Ren asked, struggling to his feet, using his Kwan Dao for support. "Wh-where the hell did you get that?"

"None of your business," Xavier shrugged. "I'm getting bored. It's time I end this."

"No!" Ren shook his head. "There's no way you're getting her! I won't let you take Lost!"

"As I said," Xavier frowned, "I'm getting bored. I'll kill you now, if you don't mind."

"Stop!" Lost screamed, rising to her feet. "Please stop, Xavier!"

"Shut up, flower," Xavier snapped. "I didn't address you, did I?"

"You can't kill him! Please don't kill Ren!" Lost pleaded with him. "Please, I'm begging you!"

"Too late…" Xavier smirked evilly. Energy began to gather around his tattooed fist and his other hand clenched as wind began to encircle them. "Sorry, but your boyfriend's about to die!"

"Lost, RUN!" Ren screamed to her. "Just get out here!"

"No! I can't leave you!" Lost cried, tears rolling down her face.

"JUST RUN DAMMIT!" Ren shrieked, unable to move. His legs were paralyzed from the pain he felt inside of him. "Just go!"

"TOO LATE!" Xavier cackled. "Say GOODBYE!" He drew his fist back and screamed: "LUMIERE FIST!"

As the fist connected with Ren's stomach, Ren vomited at least of blood and flew back, making a deep depression in the wall. Lost screamed as Ren fell to the ground, out cold or worse…

"Come," Xavier commanded her. "He's dead. No way he could have survived that punch."

"Y-You killed him!" Lost screamed, crying. "How could you? You're just a blood thirsty killer!"

"Sorry!" Xavier growled, his teeth gritted. Lost looked at him to see that rage was billowing behind his eyes. "I'm afraid that title belongs to you!"

"…Who are you…?" Lost asked, narrowing her eyes, tears still spilling from them. "Who am I…?"

Xavier paused, looked at Ren, then back at Lost and gave a wide smirk. He strode up to her and grabbed her wrist. "How sad…" he shook his head. "Don't even remember dear elder brother?"

"Wha--?" Lost started, only to be cut off by Xavier giving her a chop to the neck, making her go unconscious in his arms. Xavier promptly saddled her on his back and moved towards the door.

"Come along, flower," he smirked. "Come along, Marguerite."

* * *

"Dammit…dammit…" Ren cursed as he lay there in a pool of his own blood. He had woken up at least eight hours later, his ribs still broken and his face still covered with blood. He had been unable to move for the past hour or so, and the sun was already setting. "…Lost…"

"Master Ren!" Bason hovered over his Master. "Are you all right, Master Ren?"

"Do I look all right, idiot?" Ren snapped, only to cough up more blood.

"Don't talk Master Ren! We can integrate and I'll get you cleaned up!"

"Fool…you think I can integrate in this condition?" he asked grimly. "Nah…I'll be fine in a few hours."

"What…do you plan to do then?" Bason asked. "Master?"

"Go after Lost of course," Ren spat. "What else is there to do?"

"But you don't know where she's headed," Bason told him. "Lady Lost could be halfway around the world!"

"No…but I know which house she's going to…" he told Bason. "One with a grave…and one with unkempt grass."

"H-How do you know?" Bason asked him.

"Call it a hunch…" Ren murmured. "It isn't far…I think."

"I shall wait for you to regain your strength Master Ren," said Bason. "But…that Xavier was extremely strong. Do you really think you can defeat him?"

"Of course I can, fool!" he snapped, making Bason flinch. Ren grimaced and then looked at the ground. "But…I'm going to need help."

"What kind of help, Master Ren?" Bason asked, his eyes wide.

"…There's only person who could be of any assistance…" Ren muttered bitterly. "And…although I hate to admit it…he can help me find Lost."

"One person?" Bason asked. "Y-You couldn't mean…?"

"I do, Bason," Ren grimaced. "As much as I hate to do it…I need to find Asakura."

* * *

The End of the Chapter! Did you enjoy? I hope the fight scene wasn't too sucky… Anyway, as you can probably all guess, Yoh is joining the fight next time along with Horo and Manta! So please look forward to it!

Until then,

Ciao for now!

-Sammy


	13. The Lumiere Mansion

A Lost Soul

Hey there guys! I'm back with the last leg of the Holiday Updating spree! This is Chapter 13 of "A Lost Soul"! Did you know that we're around 5-7 chapters away from the end? I know! I can hardly believe it myself!

Anyway, this chapter is scheduled to be a long one, but I hope that you'll all enjoy it! I've gotten a lot of great reviews, and I hope for even more with this new chapter!

* * *

A Lost Soul – Chapter 13 – Lumiere Mansion

* * *

"Doo, doo, di dah…"

It had been at least four hours since Xavier had left Ren's lodging in Tokyo. He had been walking since then, Lost over his shoulder, quite unconscious. To hide her odd "condition" from locals, he simply explained to anyone who had inquired that his sister was ill, and he was taking her back home.

"Dah, di, di, daaah…"

Lost was slung over Xavier's shoulder, her dress borrowed from Jun still clinging to her body, though extremely rumpled. Her hair was frazzled and sweat coated her pink face. She had yet to wake, and Xavier found no better situation to find himself in.

"Why can't you see…?"

And now, Xavier was walking through a forest, singing a popular song he had heard while walking along with Lost. His coat and hat were draped over his shoulder, and he had already smoothed down his clothes and hair from his fight. All that seemed different from before he had entered Ren's home was the fact that his glove was missing, and he had Lost now in his control.

"I see you've returned, brother."

Xavier stopped singing abruptly and looked up to see a girl about his age with long brown hair that was gathered into a ponytail. She was of western decent, like both Xavier and Lost, and her wide eyes were a sharp hazel, much like her brother's. She had an air of royalty around her; high cheekbones and sharp lips. She wore a sleeveless black dress that was lined with purple and had a purple flower design dusting across the bottom. On her dainty pale feet were black heels with rhinestones set into the toe.

But the thing that was most peculiar about the girl was her right arm. On it, matching both Lost's back and Xavier's hand was the symbol of a large circle with five smaller circles and a cross through the middle of the design.

Her symbol was larger then Xavier's, but smaller then Lost's; just covering her upper arm. She walked towards Xavier, her head held high, waiting for a response.

"Hello Amelie," Xavier grinned victoriously. "You got it. I've got her."

"As for her…guard?" Amelie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Disposed of."

"Good," Amelie smirked triumphantly and then walked over to Xavier and touched Lost's face. She shook her head and sighed. "Don't you know anything Xavier? You should carry a woman in your arms, not over your shoulder."

"_You_ carry her if you disapprove of my methods so much," Xavier said, throwing Lost off his shoulder into Amelie's arms. Amelie buckled under the weight, but slowly rose, gathering Lost into her arms with great difficulty. It was obvious she didn't possess a lot of physical strength. "She was getting heavy anyway."

"Come on," Amelie remarked, frowning. "Father's waiting."

With that, Amelie, Xavier, and Lost all made their way through the rest of the forest, coming up to a clearing that led to a road.

* * *

"Th-this…is where that idiot lives," Ren muttered, standing in front of the Flame Inn in Tokyo. Yoh Asakura resided here, along with his short friend and a few other friends. Ren looked at the door with slight frustration and humiliation welled within his conscious.

He was dressed in his battle clothing, and his Kwan Dao was in his hand. Bason stood behind him, as did White Phoenix. Ren gulped and walked slowly into the gate of the Inn.

"Master Ren!" Bason stopped his master, but Ren didn't bother to turn around. "Are you…quite positive Master Ren?"

"Bason…it pains me to do this," Ren growled. "To work with these people who's skill is so below my own. But the fact that I lost to Yoh Asakura, even if it was just a fluke, gives me some reason to think that he might…" Ren didn't continue, and the words trailed off. "I'm going."

With that, Ren walked up towards the door, stared at it for a few seconds, and then knocked on the framing.

"Yoh! Someone's at the door! Answer it!"

"Ahh, c'mon Anna! You're closer to the door!"

"I'm watching television. Didn't I tell you to go get the door?"

"Manta, can you get the door?"

"Yoh, I'm making dinner! Stop being lazy and get the door!"

"Hooorrooo…get the door, please?"

"Rorry Roh! RI'm reating right now!"

"Are these imbeciles EVER going to answer the stupid door?" Ren asked, a vein throbbing in his head.

"Fine, fine!"

Ren almost gasped as the door slid open to reveal none other then Yoh Asakura, still dressed in his tired school uniform and looking extremely tired. He looked at Ren, and frowned. "Ren! What are you doing here?"

"Such insolence!" Bason scoffed. "You will address him as--"

"Ren?" Manta gasped, running to the door, still dressed in a white frilly apron. Ren looked down at Manta, and he gulped, obviously scared of the ominous Chinese Shaman. "T-T-Tao Ren? Wh-wh-what are you doing here?"

"Ren?" Ren looked up to see the Ainu idiot Horohoro walking up to the door. After his match with Yoh, he must have been paying a visit, or free-loading, whichever came first. Ren wasn't well acquainted with him, but just by seeing the bag of potato chips in his hand and the salsa stains rimming his mouth, Ren knew that he couldn't have been of much consequence. "_Him_? That villain guy?"

Ren didn't really appreciate being called "villain guy", but since the opinion of the blue haired idiot wasn't much to him, he let the comment slide off of him.

"So what _are _you doing here Ren?" Yoh asked, curious. "I hope it's not a fight. We can't fight until our match. Those are the rules, ya know?"

"I'm not here to fight," Ren said matter of factly. "I doubt you would be much of a challenge, anyway."

"Arrrgh! How rude!" Horohoro frowned. "Yoh just got back from his training in Izumo, and he's even stronger then he was before! So you'd better watch your mouth, buddy!"

"Have you actually _seen _this new strength?" Ren asked, narrowing his eyes. Horohoro gave a nervous laugh.

"Uhh…not _actually_," Horohoro admitted. "But he says he's stronger, and I don't doubt him!"

"Anyway," Ren said. "This isn't the point. The point is," he paused, took a large swallow of his pride, and proceeded, "I need your help."

There was a pause as the three looked at him with odd expressions. Finally, Horohoro spoke, looking extremely frustrated.

"Are you joking?" he asked, eyes flaring. "You come here, insult us, then ask us for help? No way are we helping you!"

"How are we supposed to know whether this is a trap or not?" Manta whispered to Yoh. "You'd better be careful, Yoh."

"You pointy-haired jerk!" Horohoro growled. "We have absolutely ZERO reason to help you out!"

"I didn't ask for _your _help, idiot," Ren growled. "I'm asking for _Asakura's_ help."

"Why should he help you?" Horhoro asked. "You haven't exactly been Mr. Sunshine to him!"

"Horo…" Yoh murmured, but Horhoro was not to be stopped.

"You're his enemy! You're a murderer!" Horohoro snapped. He turned his back and Ren and took a few steps back into the house. "_You _asking for help from someone like _Yoh_ has got to be a joke!"

Clatter…

Horohoro, Manta, and Yoh's eyes widened as they turned around and looked down to see Ren on the ground, his palms on the stone, his Kwan Dao fallen to the floor. His face was hidden and he was begging. "I _need_ your help! Please!" he barked, angry and frustrated. "I'm…I'm begging you!"

There was a pause. Yoh smiled and held out his hand to Ren. Ren looked up, then stood up, not taking Yoh's hand. "So you'll help?"

"You got it!" Yoh said, sporting his usual smile. "What are friends for, right?"

"You and I are _not_ 'friends'," Ren remarked coldly. "This is one-time necessity. Next time we meet in battle, I _will _kill you and become Shaman King."

Horohoro growled, obviously frustrated, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. The three looked back to see none other then Anna standing behind them. "The program ended," she said, staring at Ren. "Don't stand in front of my house all day," she muttered. "Come in and tell us what we're gonna do."

* * *

"Father!" Xavier and Amelie walked towards the road and up to their destination. "Father, are you there?"

The three had reached a gigantic mansion that seemed abandoned and desolate. The windows were covered with cobwebs, faded curtains, and decades of dust. Door knobs and gate posts were rusty, and the porch and wooden stairs were decayed and rotten. The weeds around the house made up the garden, which consisted of yard tall grass and dandelions.

The two walked up to the house, avoiding holes in the stairs and porch. Xavier grasped the rusty doorknob and opened the large door into a dark hall. The two walked in without hesitation and grabbed a candle from the left wall.

"Let me," Amelie sighed. She held her fingers out to the wick of the candle, and a bluish light came from her fingertips. The candle lit, and the damp, dark hall was illuminated to be just as gray and decayed as the exterior.

"Let's go," Xavier said to his sister. "Father's probably waiting in the control room."

Amelie nodded and the two made their way down the decayed hallway, the candle their only source of illumination. They made their way towards the end of the hallway, supposedly a dead end. Xavier sighed, then grabbed a picture frame and flipped it up.

A pad with an imprint for a hand and many odd buttons showed itself. Xavier pressed his hand to the pad, a second passed, and a green light lit up. Slowly, Xavier and Amelie began to move downwards on an elevator built into the floor.

When they reached the ground floor, they stepped off, making the elevator lift into the air once more. They were no longer in a dingy old mansion, but now in a steel walled hallway that led to a larger room where three figures could be seen.

"Father! Xavier's back!"

"Took you long enough!" remarked a high, childish voice. "Father, Alphonse and I have been waiting here all day!"

"Don't exaggerate Genevieve," Amelie remarked, narrowing her eyebrows. "You were probably fooling around or playing games while you waited for us."

"Hmph!" Genevieve remarked as the two entered the room. Both the man and the boy in the room had remained silent.

Genevieve looked to be the same age as Xavier, Amelie, and Lost. She had long light brown hair that matched her sister Amelie's color almost exactly. However, her's was more bouncy and ended about her mid back in wavy curls. She wore a crop top with red short sleeves, a white torso, and a V-cut neck. Also, hanging on her hips was a red miniskirt with pink and white frills underneath. She wore tall red boots with white soles, and on her bare stomach was the common symbol that was shared with the other three children.

The boy, Alphonse, had pale blond hair that grew into a sort of tail at the base of his neck. He had green eyes, like Lost, and oval shaped glasses. He wore a white tee shirt underneath a green jacket with undone buttons. He also wore baggy olive colored pants that reached the ground and folded over his black shoes. His face was sullen, and he looked upset by the happenings. On the right side of his neck was the familiar symbol.

"What do you want to do with her, Father?" Amelie asked, putting Lost on the ground. "Lock her up?"

"No," the man finally spoke, shaking his head. "She's waking up already, and we should probably greet her."

In truth, Lost's eyes were fluttering open as she lay down on the cold, hard ground. She lifted herself up, shaking on her arms, and looked at the five people that surrounded her. "Wh-who are you…?" Lost asked, her eyes wide with fear.

The man stepped forward, and he bared his teeth in a large grin. "Good morning Marguerite," he said. "Welcome home."

The man stepped into the light and Lost almost cried out as she saw who was standing in front of her. "Jean-Paul…"

There was no mistake. Although he looked older and exceedingly more tired then in her dreams, he was the same Jean-Paul. He still had long brown hair, a color that matched Genevieve and Amelie's, but it had grown longer and was tangled and matted. He still wore his glasses in front of his hazel eyes. But instead of the simple outfit she had seen him in her dreams, he wore a dirty white lab coat with torn burlap pants and a stained shirt underneath. He had a stubble of hair growing on his chin, and his eyes looked mad with hate.

"Remember my name do you?" he asked cruelly, frowning. "Remember these people?" he motioned to the four children around him and Lost looked at them all.

"Xavier…" she pointed at her kidnapper. "Genevieve!" she gasped, looking at the corresponding girl, who was staring at her with a look of loathing. "And…Alphonse?" she asked, looking over at the blond boy, who diverted his gaze. She looked over at Amelie. "A-Amel…Amelie?"

"So you remember them as well," Jean Paul smirked. "These, Marguerite, are my children. All four of them."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Lost asked. "Why do you keep calling me Marguerite?"

"Because that's your name, of course," Jean Paul said.

"Her boyfriend had been calling her 'Lost' or something like that," Xavier piped up and Jean Paul looked at him.

"Oh?" Jean Paul smirked evilly, his eyes growing wider. "A little pet name you picked up, my dear?"

Lost shook with fright as the man kneeled down, looking Lost straight in the eye. "Well, let's set a few things straight, shall we? Your real name is Marguerite. Marguerite Lumiere."

"Lumiere?" Lost asked, narrowing her eyes and looking at Xavier. "B-but that's…Xavier's…"

"You've got it," Jean Paul smiled. "Xavier's your brother. And since I'm his father, that means that you…"

Lost looked up, her lower lip trembling with fear. Her eyes were watery, but she had no energy to cry. Everything was becoming clear. She was remembering. The memories were flooding back to her, hitting her mind one after the other in a consistent barrage of thoughts and painful experiences.

"Father…" Lost murmured to Jean Paul, and he nodded.

"Hello, daughter dearest."

* * *

"You sure that they went this way, Ren?"

"Yeah! We've been walking for like two hours!"

"Be quiet. I'm sure we're on the right trail."

Ren, Horohoro, Yoh, and Manta were all traversing through the forest that Xavier had walked through only yesterday.

"_So what do you need our help with?" It was the night before, and Ren was sitting in Yoh's living room with Anna, Manta, and Horohoro. Yoh had just questioned Ren. Anna listened intently, sipping a drink._

"…_My wife has been kidnapped."_

"_WOAH!" Horohoro jumped up. "Your wife? You're actually married? No way! I don't even have a girlfriend!"_

"_Man Horo," laughed Manta. "You don't have to go nuts. He's obviously just kidding."_

"_I'm serious."_

"_Huh?" Manta raised an eyebrow. "Th-that's impossible. You're too young to get married. Even in the most lenient of prefectures, the marriage age is sixteen."_

"_I don't have time to explain," Ren snapped. _

"_So your wife's been kidnapped?" Yoh asked. Ren looked over at Yoh with a confused expression. So far, Yoh had been the only one not to question Ren. "By who?"_

"_A young man named 'Xavier Lumiere'."_

"_Weird name…" Yoh said, putting on a weird face._

"_It's French, you dope," Anna remarked, shooting Yoh a look. "Anyway…I'm curious. Does this girl have blonde hair, lighter then mine, and a little long then mine with bangs?"_

"_Umm…yes," Ren nodded._

"_Green eyes?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Pale complexion?"_

"_Yes. Have you seen her?"_

"_Never heard of her," Anna remarked, closing her eyes and sipping her drink again. Ren decided not to press the subject._

"_So where'd he go?" Yoh asked. "Do you know?"  
_

"_He's going to a house with a grave…" Ren told him. "And long grass. At least, that's my speculation."_

"_You don't even know where the guy is?" Horohoro asked. "There are thousands of houses around here! It would take forever to find the one you're talking about."_

"_It should be a foreign looking house as well," Ren said, ignoring Horohoro. "Not Japanese or Chinese. Western."_

"_That's still tough! Western houses are becoming more popular, you know!"_

"_I know of a house," Anna spoke up and the group turned to her. "It's outside of town, past a forest. Really hard to find though. Supposedly it's abandoned and haunted."  
_

"_Where'd you hear that Anna?" Yoh asked._

"_Halloween gossip. It's a common dare on Halloween night to go to the house and throw a rock in the broken window," Anna said. _

"_I know about that too!" Manta nodded. "They say an old hermit lives in there with his four spirits."_

"_Four spirits?" Yoh asked. "Like what?"_

"_Some say they represent the elements," Manta told him. "Earth, water, wind, and fire. Others say that they represent the celestial beasts: Genbu, Seiryu, Byakko, and Suzaku."_

"_Anyway," Anna snapped, not happy about being interrupted. "Rumor has it that a kid who threw in a stone was captured by one of the spirits and never came back… He was a fool to go all alone."_

"_Woah, how creepy!" Horohoro and Yoh said together. Ren had an "oh brother" look on his face._

"_Of course…" Anna murmured, looking up. "It's a ridiculously false story. If he went all alone, how could anyone have known he got captured?"  
_

_Yoh, Horohoro, and Manta all fell over, and Ren sighed._

"_I'm not here to hear these ridiculous stories," he remarked coldly. "All I want to know is where this house is."_

"_I told you. On the edge of town through the forest," Anna told him. "Anyway, I'm going to sleep. I suggest you four get some rest too."_

"_I have to go save Lost," Ren remarked, rising to his feet. "You really expect me to sleep?"_

"_Fine, your funeral," Anna remarked, walking to her room. "Get yourself killed out of exhaustion."_

"_Anna's right," Yoh smiled to Ren. "Let's get a good night's sleep, and then first thing in the morning we'll set out."_

"_Lost might be dead by then!" Ren growled.  
__  
"Ahh, don't worry!" Yoh grinned at Ren and Ren scowled again. "Everything will work out!"_

_Ren looked at Yoh, then shook his head and made his way over to the couch. "We leave at dawn."  
_

"No sign of this place!" Horohoro complained, his snowboard strapped to his back in an odd fashion. "Kororo's getting tired." The tiny Koropokur stuck her head out from behind the snowboard and panted.

"I could care less about your idiotic doll," Ren snapped.

"ARRGH! YOU BIG JERK! KORORO IS _NOT_ A DOLL!"

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Yoh said, dressed in his battle attire and carrying his sword. Manta followed close behind him, his dictionary under his arm. "Amidamaru?"

"Yes, Lord Yoh?" Amidamaru asked, poking his head out from Yoh's memorial tablet. "Have you found the location yet?"

"Can you fly up and scout for the house?" Yoh asked his spirit partner. "It'll be a lot easier for us if we know which direction we're going in."

"Yes, Lord Yoh," Amidamaru nodded, rising into the air. The group watched as the ghost samurai looked around the area. "Lord Yoh! There is a dilapidated looking house due north! We are very close!"

"Thanks!" Yoh called. "You can come down now Amidamaru!"

Amidamaru flew back down to Yoh's side and the group continued their trek through the forest. Soon, they came upon a clearing and Yoh looked into it. "Sweet! We found it!"

The group jumped forward to where Yoh was looking and gasped as they set eyes on the gray dilapidated house. It had once been a grand mansion like home, but now, it was reduced to a poor state. Ren stepped forward. "Lost is here…I can feel it."

"If you say so, Ren," Yoh nodded. "But I don't see a grave…"

"This way…" Ren motioned to the group, and they began to walk through the tall grass, Manta barely able to keep his head afloat. They kept walking until they came to another clearing, this one well taken care of. "Here…"

He pointed to grave stone slab, and the group stepped over to it. It was plain and gray, but still stood out amongst its natural, unkempt surroundings. The group read it slowly. "Giselle Lumiere…" Yoh read out loud. "March 6th, 1969- July 12th, 1991. Woah. She didn't live long did she?"

"Yeah," Horohoro nodded. "Only…twenty two. Pretty sad."

"Hey?" Manta glared at a bit of faded writing. "What does this say? It's in western characters."

"It says _'Assasine Par Child'_," said Ren, reading it. "It's in French, I believe. Lost told me about this gravestone. This is where Xavier forced her to eat that dirt. We're here…" Ren looked up at the mansion. "This is definitely where Lost is."

* * *

Yay! We're diving in now! Next chapter will be really exciting, so don't miss it, okay? Please review! Ack! I've got to keep writing! I'm on a deadline, and the rest of this writing is due!

Until then,

Ciao for now!


	14. A Mad Man's Most Horrible Memory

Hey there everyone! How's it going? I hope you're all pumped for Chapter 14 of "A Lost Soul"! . Also, a lot of stories are moving towards the ends, so also expect another fic to be coming up soon. (Like, a couple of months soon ((sweatdrops)) )

I made a horrible typo! (cries) In one of Lost's memories, I said Alphonse had hazel eyes! I LIED! I'm sorry, he has green eyes! I know that detail seems completely irrelevant, but I thought I should correct my mistake.

* * *

A Lost Soul – Chapter 14 – A Mad Man's Most Horrible Memory

* * *

"Father?" Lost asked, her voice trembling, her eyes wide. "Father!" She screamed and threw herself back, searching for the way out. Before she could rise to her feet, Lost screamed as she felt a sharp pull on her hair.

"Stay quiet, Marguerite!" Xavier barked as he pulled her hair tighter. She screamed again, and Alphonse stepped forward, his mouth open in fear.

"Xavier, release her," Jean Paul commanded his son. Xavier frowned and reluctantly let Lost go to rejoin his sister, Amelie on the other side of the room.

"I-I don't understand…" Lost cried. "W-we all look the same age! How can we be brother and sister?"

"Silly Marguerite," Jean Paul smirked wildly. "Haven't you ever heard of quintuplets?"

"Q-Quintuplets?" Lost asked, her brow furrowed. "A-All five of us were born at the same time!" She said it as a realization more then a question.

"That's right…" Jean Paul smirked, moving towards Xavier. "Xavier here is the oldest. He's fifteen minutes and forty six seconds older then you. Quite a margin, wouldn't you say?"

Xavier grinned at Lost. Lost looked up into his eyes and saw that they matched their father's completely, especially the mad look in them.

"_EAT IT!" _

_Xavier, aged seven, was standing over the small Marguerite, pushing her head down into the dirt, holding her hair as he had done in the present. An angry look was in his mouth and in his frustrated scowl. He looked angry and mad with rage at Marguerite. He pushed her down again, screaming as loud as his tiny lungs could manage._

"_EAT MOMMY'S DIRT!"_

_Marguerite cried out, scared and afraid. Xavier had always had the broad physique, while Lost was smaller, shorter, and frail compared to her muscular older brother. Xavier had a history of abusing Marguerite, and he had the power to do so as well, due to his ability with his fists._

"_I don't want to!" Marguerite cried, tears flowing down her tiny cheeks as the angry Xavier plunged her in again. She surfaced, dirt covering her mouth. She cried out to anyone for mercy. "Help!" she screamed._

"_EAT IT! EAT IT NOW!" Xavier screamed, a mad grin spreading across his face. He was enjoying this abuse he was inflicting on his younger sister. He was enjoying it as if he was relieving his anger on a doll or taking out his frustration on a stuffed animal. _

_To him, Marguerite was simply a punching bag to be thrown around._

"Xa-Xavier…" Lost murmured, looking up at her eldest brother, who turned away as their eyes made contact.

Jean Paul turned to Amelie, the long haired girl. Lost turned and looked at the two to see that Amelie was the apple of her father's eye. Her eyes were a different shape, but matched the hazel that her father possessed. She had long light brown hair, exactly like her father, and their facial structure appeared similar. Still, when Lost looked at Amelie, she could see a resemblance between them in Amelie's small hands and delicate feet. "Amelie is thirteen minutes and six seconds older then you. Still quite your elder, don't you think?"

Lost looked up at Amelie, and realized that she was the only sibling that she had not dreamt about. She wondered why, but as Amelie turned her head away from Lost, she remembered violently.

"_Amelie…?"_

_Marguerite, aged nine or so, walked up to her older sister who was sitting at a table playing with a doll. "Amelie? I brought my doll too." Marguerite held up a doll made out of a rag. She had drawn eyes and a mouth on, and it was obvious that the doll was hand made by Marguerite herself. "Can I play?"_

_Amelie did not respond. She simply stood up, grabbed her doll in her hand, and started to walk away. Marguerite followed her older sister. "Can I please play? Please?" _

_Amelie sat down on the cold floor and began to play with the doll again, talking to it instead of her sister. Marguerite sat down and began to talk for her doll. "Hello! My name is Crystal, what's yours?"_

_Amelie stood up with her doll and began to walk away again. Marguerite looked extremely hurt and stood up, calling after her sister. "Amelie! Amelie, why won't you ever talk to me? Why won't you play with me? I never ever see you…you're always in your room."_

"_You can't come in my room," Amelie muttered savagely. "That's why I stay in my room." With that, Amelie walked towards a door, opened the chipped door, and slammed it behind her. Marguerite heard a small "click!" of a lock, and frowned sadly._

"You never got to know Amelie very well," Jean Paul smiled coldly once again. Amelie turned her head, refusing to make eye contact. "You see, she despised you so much, that, instead of taking it out on you, she decided to sever all ties. Amelie always was rather passive aggressive."

"Amelie!" Lost called out to her sister, but Amelie didn't move. Lost frowned. She now knew why she hadn't remembered her eldest sister like the others. Amelie had exerted all her effort into staying away from Lost in any respect. Lost remembered that she was lucky if she saw Amelie once in a week, even when they were young.

"This is Alphonse," Jean Paul said, moving to the blonde boy. Lost looked up at Alphonse and noticed that she and her brother were the most matching in appearance. They had the same pale blonde hair and green eyes. The one thing that even labeled Alphonse as his father's child was his eyesight. He wore glasses like his father, and behind them, his sharp green eyes looked at her sympathetically. "He's eight minutes and forty one seconds older then you. A long time between Amelie and him, I must say."

Alphonse cracked a weak smile at Lost, and Lost smiled back at him. She remembered. This was Alphonse, the only sibling who had ever shown her a shred of kindness.

"_STOP IT!" Marguerite looked up as she heard a familiar friendly voice enter the small graveyard. She turned her head to see none other then her older brother Alphonse standing in front of her and Xavier, panting slightly._

"_Stop it, Xavier! You're only hurting her!" Marguerite smiled as she looked at her brother. Alphonse was the only one who ever stood up for her when her siblings had been abusive. He was shy, and very passive when it came to confrontation, but he was willing to step forward and help her when needed.._

"_Stay out of it, Alphonse!" barked Xavier, stepping forward towards their brother. Alphonse stepped back, and Marguerite gave a small gasp. She knew that Alphonse was frail, much like herself, and that he would have no chance in a fist fight with Xavier. However, Xavier didn't step again, and instead, began to shout at his brother._

"Alphonse!" Lost smiled widely, and tried to stand, only to be stopped by Xavier shooting her a dark look. Alphonse looked away, and Lost kneeled back down as Jean Paul moved to the last person in the room.

"And this is your older sister Genevieve," Jean Paul said, putting his hand on the last girl's shoulder. "She was born only five minutes and thirty seconds before you."

Genevieve shot Lost a dark look with a wicked grin. Lost gulped, and moved back an inch or so. Genevieve also looked like her father, but her facial structure and wavy hair matched Lost's. Her hair color, however, matched her father's, as did her eye color, a sharp hazel. She was grinning at Lost, almost flirtatiously.

"M-My sister…" Lost murmured, and the memory surface within her.

"_Ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posy! Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!"_

"_Hah! You're so funny, Genevieve!" Marguerite and Genevieve were three years old and were playing in the overgrown garden._

"_Thanks for coming to play!" Genevieve grinned. Marguerite smiled at Genevieve. It was really her pleasure. Amelie never played with Marguerite, and Xavier was vicious. Alphonse was usually too timid to play daring and fun games._

"_Genevieve!" Marguerite and Genevieve looked up to see none other then their father, Jean Paul standing in the door. He looked younger and cleaner, but his eyes were still dark and mad. "Genevieve, stop playing and come inside!"_

"_Coming, Daddy!" Genevieve smiled and got up, brushing off her dress. Marguerite looked upset as Genevieve got up, and Genevieve turned back and gave Marguerite a smile, of which she returned._

"_Genevieve! I said come here!" Jean Paul shouted harshly.. _

"_What for Daddy?" Genevieve asked._

"_I have something to show you," Jean Paul told her, leading her gently into the house. "Something important."

* * *

_

"_HYAH!"_

"_ARRGH!"_

_Marguerite fell back as Genevieve landed another devastating blow on her. It had been like this for almost seven years. Ever since Genevieve had gone into the house with their father that day they were playing, Genevieve had despised Marguerite._

_Marguerite didn't think she could take anymore. The pain was too much. Not just the pain in her ribs and her chest, but the pain in her heart. She never had found out what happened to her once beloved sister._

"_Genevieve! Stop!" Marguerite cried, tears falling down her face._

"_That'll teach you to come to my place without permission," Genevieve growled. Marguerite had only come into her room to deliver the laundry, but Genevieve never let an opportunity to properly beat Marguerite go by. "What the hell are you doing here?"  
_

"_I-I…I just came to…" Marguerite began to explain herself, but Genevieve wanted no explanations. She gave her younger sister another sharp kick. Marguerite cried out: "Genevieve!"_

"_GET OUT!" Genevieve screamed, kicking Marguerite constantly. Her kicks became harder and swifter as her anger rose. "GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!"_

"_ARRGH!"_

"_Just die!" Genevieve grinned evilly. "DIE!" Marguerite cried out again and again as the blows continued. Tears fell from her eyes, while anger rose in Genevieve. _

"Genevieve!" Lost cried. "Why? Why do you hate me?"

"You want to know why Genevieve hates you?" Jean Paul asked, smiling widely. He gave a small disbelieving chuckle. "Have you already forgotten? Already forgotten the wrong you have done us all?"

"Wrong?" Lost asked, her eyes wide with fear. "What did I do? What in the world did I do?" she grasped her hair and pulled hard, trying to remember. "Please, tell me why this is happening! I want my mother! Where's my mother?" Lost asked frantically. "Why can't I remember her?"

"Shut up!" Jean Paul screamed, and Lost fell back as the back of his hand struck her face. "Shut up about your mother! You have no right to even _say_ you have a mother you murdering wretch!"

"I killed mother!" Lost cried frantically, searching for an answer to her many questions. "I know! But why? Why did I kill my mother? Oh God! Please tell me why!"

Jean Paul frowned, his eyes narrowed. He kneeled down and moved his face next to Lost's, leering at her. "That night…my entire life ended. Everything that I wanted was gone. My beloved Giselle was dead. I had no home. All I had were four children, and one murderer on my hands. And I ran.

"My Giselle was all I had," he told her coldly. "One of the most important things in my life. I still remember the day of our wedding."

"_And I now pronounce you man and wife," the preacher announced, and Jean Paul turned his white clad bride. Giselle stood in front of her husband, both of them only eighteen years old, but so much in love. Jean Paul lifted her veil and kissed her lips sweetly. The guests clapped and cheered appropriately as the couple came down the aisle, now Monsieur and Madame Lumiere. _

"_Congratulations!" a woman of the town said to Giselle at the small party that followed. "I'm so happy for you two. You were always meant for each other."_

"_That' s exactly what I said!" said another middle aged woman to Giselle. "You and Jean Paul have known each other since you were children!"_

"_Although, getting married to a scientist is a little…well…" one woman snickered, "risky, wouldn't you say?"  
_

"_Jean Paul has some amazing research going on," Giselle explained as she took a small bite of wedding cake, making sure not to smudge her pink lipstick. "It's so wonderful. I love hearing him go on and on about his projects." She laughed slightly. "I think, that if I turned him down, he would have married his beloved research instead."_

"_How can you say that?" Jean Paul asked, sneaking up on his new bride and giving her a kiss on the head. The women giggled as he sat next to Giselle, kissing her again. "Are you saying you actually considered saying no to my proposal?"_

"_Of course not," Giselle smiled, kissing her husband. "I love you."_

"_Giselle!" a little girl ran up to Giselle, a bright smile on her face. "When are you going to throw the bouquet? My sister and I are arguing about who's going to get it!"_

"_I'll throw it now!" Giselle smiled at the girl, picking up her wedding bouquet, filled with yellow, purple and white flowers. She shouted to the entire group of guests. "I'm about to throw the bouquet everyone! Come on!"_

_The single women all giggled and ran over to Giselle, their laughs stifled by the pushing of all the women. Jean Paul looked at his beautiful bride and smiled. _

"_Congratulations Jean Paul."_

_Jean Paul looked up to see a man with graying hair and a kind smile wearing a black tuxedo. Jean Paul smiled at the man, inviting him to sit down. "Professor Telus, you came!"_

"_Of course I came, boy," Marcel laughed, sitting down next to his apprentice. "I would never miss your wedding. Giselle is quite the catch, isn't she?"_

"_She's perfect," Jean Paul sighed contentedly. "She's my angel."  
_

"_Jean Paul," Marcel began, taking a bite of wedding cake. "About your experiment…"_

"_I proposed it three years ago," Jean Paul said, looking down at his place mat with a mild smile. "I was only fifteen. I've forgotten such things by now."_

"_Jean Paul, you must know what I mean," Marcel began. _

"_Oh, watch!" Jean Paul smiled, turning towards Giselle, who had just turned around. "Giselle's about the throw the bouquet!"_

"_Okay!" Giselle closed her eyes and readied her arm. "Here I go!" she threw the bouquet up into the air, but, just then, a huge gust of wind came through the party and the bouquet flew right back into Giselle's hands._

_There was a silence, followed by small gasps and Giselle turned around sheepishly. "I hear it's a bad omen if the bride catches her own bouquet…"a teenage girl whispered to her friend. "They say that the bride and groom will be separated before their fifth anniversary."_

"_It's an omen," Giselle spoke up, overhearing the girl. The two girls gulped, embarrassed, but Giselle simply smiled. "But a good one! It just means that my child will be the first one to get married!"_

_Giselle looked down at the bouquet and closed her eyes. "Now…another omen." Giselle's fingers lingered over the flowers of the bouquet until she finally touched one and pulled it out. She opened her eyes and smiled at the marguerite flower in her hand. "Jean Paul!"_

"_What is it Giselle?" he asked, standing up as his bride ran over._

"_If we have a girl," she said to him. "We need to name her "Marguerite". The flower told me to!"_

"_What if it's a boy?" Jean Paul laughed. "Just watch, we're going to have five boys in a row."_

"_If it's a boy…" Giselle frowned, looking down at the bouquet. "Well, I doubt any boy would like to be named "Lily" or "Daisy"…" she giggled, but then looked up. "How about Xavier? That was my baby brother's name. He only lived a couple of days, so our boy will be his way to finally live," she smiled._

"_Xavier is a lovely name," Jean Paul smiled. "It'll be Marguerite and Xavier then."_

"_What if we have more children?" Giselle giggled.  
_

"_We'll think of that later," Jean Paul shrugged, kissing his wife. "But I always liked the name "Amelie" for a girl."_

_Jean Paul was cut off as Giselle erupted into a horrible coughing fit. His eyes widened and he caught his wife as she almost fell. "Giselle! Giselle, are you all right?"  
_

"_I-I'm fine…" Giselle murmured, lifting her head up to reveal blood in her hand. "None of it got on my dress."_

"_Is it another attack?" Jean Paul asked._

"_No," Giselle shook her head, forcing a smile. "No, I'm fine. R-really. Just a cough. Not an attack."_

"_Are you sure you don't want to lie down?" he asked her. Marcel shot a look at Jean Paul, but Jean Paul did not recognize his Professor's look. "Are you sure you don't want to lie down right here on the bench?"  
_

"_I-I'm fine Jean Paul," Giselle assured him, smiling. "I wouldn't want to ruin our wedding day with my disease."_

"I-I don't understand…" Lost murmured. "Giselle…was my mother?"

"Yes," Jean Paul nodded grimly. "My beloved Giselle is your mother.

Lost now realized why Giselle had looked almost exactly like her. She was her mother's daughter, if slightly less beautiful then Giselle. So the Giselle who owned the necklace was her mother… "The necklace!" Lost murmured to herself. She felt her neck and found that the chain was hidden under her dress.

"What?" Jean Paul asked.

"I said…" Lost stumbled. "A disease? What kind of disease?"

"A rare form of Tuberculosis," Jean Paul told her. "Giselle had a case of Tuberculosis that was untreatable due to a genetic disorder that made her internal organs extremely sensitive to outside chemicals and medications. So sensitive in fact, that even a simple pain killer could leave her in bed for days."

"A genetic disorder?" Lost asked curiously. "And so…treating Tuberculosis…"

"Was impossible," Jean Paul finished. "It would kill her. Her disorder…simply didn't allow it."

"And so…she was dying?" Lost asked.

"In a matter of speaking, yes," Jean Paul nodded. "Giselle would not last long. To her twenties…perhaps."

"Gi… I mean, Mother died from Tuberculosis?" Lost asked. "I thought I killed her."

"Giselle did not die from her disease," Jean Paul muttered. "And she wouldn't have either, if it weren't for you."

"Huh?" Lost looked up, confused. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

"You've talked with Marcel, correct?" Jean Paul asked. Lost looked taken aback at his knowledge of her whereabouts, but she nodded none the less. "Professor Telus was a brilliant man, but very narrow minded. That's why I sent him that painting. To remind him of his narrow mindedness." He turned to Xavier and smiled. "And Xavier here was kind enough to put my old Professor out of his misery."

Xavier smirked, his eyes narrowed in a cruel satisfaction. Lost shivered as Jean Paul continued. "You see, my experiment was genius," he told her, turning around and pacing around the room, as if reveling in the ingeniousness of it. "If it succeeded, I could alter the genes of human beings. Genetic transformations. I could do _anything. _Enhance muscles, change physical appearance, and most importantly…" he murmured, turning to Lost, "cure genetic diseases."

Lost gave a small gasp. "You were going to use the experiment on mother and save her?"

"That was my plan," Jean Paul nodded.

"So…that date…" Lost muttered, remembering what Marcel had told Ren and herself many days ago at the restaurant.

"_It…it…" Marcel shook his head. "It had…a date that read: "Date of Experiment"."_

"That date…the subject was Mother!" Lost gasped.

"You must be referring to my research papers that the townspeople found," Jean Paul frowned. "Yes…Giselle was going to have the research performed on her. She was more then willing. I was going to save her…" Jean Paul gave a warm smile, so uncharacteristic of anything that Lost had ever seen before. "But everything had to go wrong…"

"_They've found it!" Jean Paul shouted, bursting into his house, his scarf loosely tightened around his neck. Giselle was sitting in the living room, reading a book. She looked up, frightened. "The research! They've found my research!"_

"_What do you mean?" Giselle asked, frightened.  
_

"_The townspeople found my research!" Jean Paul said. "They're rallying! We have to get out of here."_

"_I'll get my coat," Giselle said, slowly rising to her feet, only to have Jean Paul run over to her to stop her._

"_Let me help you," he told her, taking her arms and slowly helping her up. When Giselle's blanket fell, one could see why Jean Paul helped his wife up. Giselle had a healthy sized bump growing in her lower stomach. _

"Mother was pregnant?" Lost asked. "With us?"

"Yes," Jean Paul nodded. "She was eight months pregnant. What we planned was that she would deliver the baby and a few months afterwards, I would perform the experiment."

"What happened?" Lost asked.

Jean Paul frowned sadly. "It just went completely wrong…"

"_The car isn't working!" Jean Paul told his wife as he got out of their vehicle to check the tires. "Dammit, just as I thought. Someone's punctured the tires. They must have come to make sure we wouldn't run."_

"_What are we going to do?" Giselle asked, her green eyes wide with fear. _

"_We'll go by foot," Jean Paul said, walking to the other side of the car and opening the door to help Giselle out. "It'll take longer, but the townspeople aren't here right now, and we should take advantage of that."  
_

"_Where are they?" Giselle asked as Jean Paul began to lead his wife away from their house._

"_Probably at my lab," he told her. "Or Professor Telus' house."_

"_Professor Telus is in danger?" Giselle asked, frightened. "We have to go back and help him!"_

"_We can't! They'll kill us!" Jean Paul snapped fiercely and Giselle flinched. Jean Paul's eyes softened, and a guilty look spread across his face. "I-I…I'm sorry. We have to go."_

"We ran," Jean Paul said. "But it was tough, especially with Giselle in her condition. She was growing weaker, and we weren't even out of the town yet."

"_Come on Giselle," Jean Paul hurried his wife, who was panting with exhaustion. "Come on darling, we have to keep going."  
_

"_Jean Paul!" Giselle gasped. "I-I…" Suddenly, Giselle buckled over onto her knees. She fell to the ground and Jean Paul gasped. "Jean Paul!"_

"_Giselle!" Jean Paul cried, diving to his wife. "Y-You're…you're…"_

"_My water broke! I'm having the baby!" she cried and Jean Paul's eyes widened. "P-Pull me there…" she murmured, pointing to an alley. "Maybe they won't see us if we're in there!"_

_Jean Paul did as Giselle told him and gently picked up his wife and walked slowly to the alleyway, setting her sitting against the wall. "Are you comfortable? Why is the baby coming so soon?"_

"_He must be premature…" Giselle muttered, breathing heavily, sweat on her brow. "Oh Jean Paul!"_

"_Don't worry!" Jean Paul grasped his wife's hand and held her shoulder. "Just breathe. It'll be all right, I'll help."_

"It was difficult," Jean Paul murmured, thinking back to the day. "But the both of us worked together to deliver the baby. I was constantly glancing over my shoulder, knowing that our time was running out."

"_We've got to hurry," he told her._

"_I can't go any faster!" she insisted, her face sweaty. _

"_In this next contraction, you've got to push Giselle!" he told her. "I'll help with the delivery. But you've got to push!"_

"_Euurrg…" Giselle furrowed her brow, gritted her teeth, and pushed forward with all her might, sweat trickling down her brow. She gave out small gasps and cries, but Jean Paul was too busy delivering his baby to notice. _

"_It's the head!" he told her, helping remove the child with the greatest of care. "Just a bit more Giselle!"_

_Giselle nodded and gave another push, pushing out the baby's head and torso. The baby began to erupt into tears, and Jean Paul pulled it out and put it on his jacket. "It's a boy!" he told her, tears in his eyes. "Isn't he loud?"_

"_He's wonderful," she murmured. "What's his name going to be?"_

"_Xavier, of course," Jean Paul cried, and glanced at his watch. "Ten fifteen… We'll want to remember the time."_

"_You're so silly," she smiled at him, laughing slightly. "We should get him cleaned up and—" Giselle gasped and cried out. _

"_Giselle!" Jean Paul gasped, rushing to her side, Xavier now wrapped in his jacket and in his arms. "Giselle, what's wrong?"_

"_Another contraction!" she gasped. "I-It can't be…twins?"_

"_Two?" he asked, his eyes wide. He laid Xavier down, the boy still messy and crying, and attended to his wife. "My God…Giselle, your health! It was hard enough for you to deliver Xavier!"_

"_I've got to!" she said, narrowing her eyes. "If I don't, then how can I possibly call myself a mother?"_

_Jean Paul paused, and then nodded. He held his wife's knees, and told her to push once again._

"And she did…around two minutes later," he told Lost, placing a hand on Amelie's shoulder, "your sister here was born."

"_It's a girl!" Jean Paul smiled at his worn wife, who was lying down, happiness mixed with pain and weariness on her face. "She's got my eyes…just like Xavier. Should we name her Ma-"_

"_ARRGGH!" Giselle fell back and screamed, and Jean Paul was forced to lay the baby girl next to the crying Xavier and return to his wife. "Jean Paul!"_

"It was another one," he told Lost, wandering over to Alphonse. "But this one took longer. I remember how I was constantly worried about the townspeople catching up to us. Constantly glancing over my shoulder."

"_It's another boy!" he told her, smiling. "He's blonde, like you!"_

"_I knew…" she sputtered out, her voice weak, "at least one of them would look like me."_

"_Triplets," he gasped, wiping his brow. "I just can't believe it. They're so small…"_

"_Jean Paul…" Giselle's voice caught his attention, and he looked over at her. His eyes widened as he looked at his battered wife. Her face was a mess of sweat, dirt, and blood from her bitten lip. She was in so much pain, and more over, she had lost so much energy. "I'm…so tired…"_

"_This is too risky for you," he told her. "One baby was enough to hope for in your condition. Come on…let's go. There's a hospital about four miles from the town."_

"_EURG!" she caught her breath and fell back, screaming once again.  
_

"_Giselle, oh God! Another one!" he gasped, kneeling down. His face was also sweating and contracted in fear. His hair had already fallen out of its holder, and his now loose light brown locks fell over his shoulders and into his eyes. He took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt, not wasting a moment to return to the attendance of his wife. "Giselle, hold on please!"_

"And soon, Genevieve here was born," Jean Paul said, walking over to Genevieve and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"_It's a girl!" he laughed, looking at Giselle with tears in his eyes. Not from joy any longer, but from utter and complete terror for the fate of his wife. Giselle was a mess. Her breathing was uneven, and she had already coughed up blood. Her limbs were shaking, and her four crying children lay at her side, now wrapped in both Jean Paul's jacket and her shawl. "We're going now!" he told her, holding out his hand. "I'll carry both you and the children!"_

"_Jean Paul…" _

_Jean Paul's eyes widened as he heard his wife's quivering voice. It wasn't like the other times she had called his name, with hope and affection. Now, it was as though she was calling out his name for the last time, as if she was accepting her fate…_

"_Giselle," he turned to her, his eyes wide. "We have to go. Now."  
_

"_No," she shook her head, tears in her eyes. "The last one…that last baby's coming."_

"_What?" he asked her, his eyes wide. "What do you mean? I don't understand!"_

"_I can feel it…" she said, tears falling down her cheeks. "One more. Just one more Jean Paul." Her legs buckled as she felt a sharp contraction. "Arrgh! Jean Paul!"_

"_Giselle!"_

"_I might not make it," she told him and his eyes widened. _

"_N-no! No, it'll be okay!" he assured her, holding her shoulders and staring into her eyes. "We're all getting out of here! The seven of us! We're all going to get out of here alive!"_

"_If it's a girl…" she sputtered. "N-Name her Marguerite…"_

_Jean Paul stared at his wife, tears now falling down his face as well as hers. "Wh-what?" his voice was barely above a whisper._

"_Promise me!" she clutched his arm, the contraction hitting her again. "Please, promise me!"_

"_We'll name her together!" he told her, attending to her. "Look! Her head is coming out!"_

_Just then, Giselle burst into a coughing fit, and blood spattered all over her dress. Jean Paul gasped, looking up, only to get a hard cough of blood in his own face. He didn't pay it a second thought though as he felt her face. "G-G-Gi…Giselle…you've got to keep going! Just a bit more!" He couldn't control his tears as he looked at his pained wife. "Y-You made it this far! Just a little more!"_

"That's when it happened…" Jean Paul murmured, and Lost looked up at him. Tears were once again welling up in his eyes. "It was a horrible feeling. When I finally realized…that my wife was about to die. I finally realized…that those were my final moments with her…"

"_It's almost out!" he told her. "It's a girl! Just like you said it would be! Giselle!" he looked up, his voice choking and cracking as he tried to talk to his wife. The baby was already crying, but no sound came from Giselle._

"_Giselle?"_

_Jean Paul pulled the baby out and looked at her. She was the smallest, probably the most premature, and she cried just as loud as the others. "Marguerite," he told her. "See? We named her together. Marguerite."_

_Silence._

_He looked over at his wife, the baby Marguerite in his arms, and he gasped as he saw blood pooling around Giselle's mouth. "J-Jean Paul…" she sputtered._

"_GISELLE!" he screamed, grasping her head and lifting her up to look at him. "Oh God, Giselle, please look at me! L-look!" he showed her Marguerite. "It's the last one! A baby girl! She's got…sh-she-she's got…got your eyes!"_

"_Jean Paul…" Giselle sputtered again, coughing. "I love…you…"_

"_I love you too…" he said, his voice so soft that he doubted Giselle could hear it. So he said it again, louder, "I love you forever…my angel."_

"_I love you…my brilliant scholar," she murmured. Jean Paul leaned down and kissed his bloodied and battered wife. Then, suddenly, her lips dropped from his as her head fell to the ground._

"_GISELLE!" he screamed, grasping her head in his hand. He looked at her and tried to shake her awake, but he already knew the truth behind his wife's condition._

"She was dead."

Lost's eyes widened as the story finished. "S-so…so I was the last baby to be born."

"You're the one that killed her," he snapped, looking at Lost with dark eyes. "The last one. She would have made it…after Xavier, and after Amelie, and after Alphonse, and even after Genevieve! They all…" he gritted his teeth and barked at her, "None of _them_ killed her! It had to be you! You had no such mercy for your own mother!"

"NO!" Lost screamed, shaking her head. "It wasn't my fault! Mother was ill! You knew that!"

"She loved you until the end!" he screamed, grabbing Lost's shoulder and bringing her up to look him in the eyes. "She gave you her one name that she was saving! SHE GAVE IT YOU, YOU FILTHY MURDERER!" He threw Lost against the wall, and Lost fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, obviously unconscious.

"Father…you lost your temper," Amelie said.

"I know."

"Oh well," Xavier smirked. "Want me to take out the trash?"

"No," Jean Paul shook his head, returning to his computer. "The computer gives me a report that we have a few intruders in our midst."

"What? Who?" Xavier asked, turning on his heel. "No way! Not that idiot! I killed him!"

"Seems you didn't do a very efficient job," Genevieve smirked cruelly at her brother, who flashed her a warning gaze. "Oh well. Want _me _to do away with him this time Father?"

"All of you, report to your floors," he told them. "I'll direct them in that direction."

"No fair," Genevieve snapped, stomping her foot. "Xavier gets to kill them first! By the time they get to me, they'll just be corpses! How fun is _that_?"

"You'll do as you're told," Jean Paul snapped. "Now…I think it's time I give our guests a little welcome."

"What about _her?_" Xavier asked, pointing to Lost as though she were an annoying object in the way.

"Take to your floor," Jean Paul told him. "You can do what you want."

"Thank you Father," Xavier grinned, throwing Lost over his shoulders and walking through the dark hall, his three siblings following him. "And this time," Xavier grinned, "I'll be sure to do away with him."

* * *

Please leave a review! Sorry for the slow update! 


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